


Puppy Diaries

by Galaxy_Phoenix



Category: Devilman (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adoption, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Hurt and comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Mention of Animal Death, OVA Universe, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:58:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 49,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15641226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxy_Phoenix/pseuds/Galaxy_Phoenix
Summary: On the night of Ryo's birthday, Akira and Ryo find a puppy on their front porch. One thing leads to another and hilarity as well as fluff ensues in the adventures of their day-to-day lives.





	1. Boyfriend's Birthday Surprise

The sun rose slowly over the Tokyo cityscape as the morning hours started creeping in, the warm colors of the sky looking positively radiant. The veins of the city that were the old roads and streets were littered with automobiles heading to work as people walked on the sidewalks to their countless destinations. Even in the early hours, the city was already bustling with people. 

Just outside the city limits, there was a small apartment with a silver 1985 Mitsubishi Starion in the driveway. On the tiny front porch, there are small plants of various different kinds sprawled out, some on the edge of the porch and some by the door. Inside the open-concept home, one would first walk into the living room upon entering with the brown leather sofa and small television against the wall. Walking further behind the sofa was the small kitchenette with gray laminate countertops, white wooden cabinets and fridge tucked into the corner and a standalone counter against the wall. On the other side across from the kitchen, there was a single bed right underneath a large rectangular window. There was a small six-drawer dresser behind the sofa. In the bed, two young men were quietly sleeping under the numerous blankets and wrapped in each other’s warm embrace. The clock on the nearby nightstand read 7:15 am, quietly ticking away the minutes. 

One of the young men was partially awake, his vision a tad blurry from the lull of sleep. Akira woke up a little, waiting for his vision to clear as he blinked his eyes. He then let out a yawn and looked down to see his lover cuddled up against his chest, still asleep. His blonde hair was a messy bed head and Akira could feel his soft, even breathing against his skin. 

God, Ryo was adorable when he sleeps.

Akira slowly started to caress the nape of his neck and his back as he lazily laid countless soft kisses on his forehead and in his hair. His boyfriend stirred slightly and curled up some more against Akira, not wanting to wake up from sleep and warmth. Akira laughed quietly to himself and continued his actions. After a moment, Ryo let out a yawn and his eyes opened slowly as consciousness began to creep in. His eyes looked a little red and he looked exhausted.

“What time is it?” Ryo asked with a tired groan. 

Akira turned his head to behind him at the digital clock on the nightstand with the time now reading 7:21 am. 

“It’s 7:21.”

“It’s too earlyyyyyy.”

“I know, I know. You can stay in bed a little longer while I’ll go ahead and cook some breakfast.”

“Noooooo, don’t leave.”

“Don’t you want coffee?”

“Yes, but I also want you, too.”

Akira knew that Ryo was not a morning person by a long stretch so he tried to at least get him his coffee before he started making breakfast. The problem, however, was the sheer fact that Ryo always tried to prevent him from leaving the bed, always wanting him to stay five more minutes to the point of wrapping his arms and legs around Akira like an octopus.

“What do you want first? Me or coffee?”

“As much as I would prefer some coffee, you’re warmer and better.”

“Alright then, whatever you wanna do.”

“I wanna cuddle.”

“Okay then.” Akira smiled as he gave a kiss to Ryo’s forehead. He then pulled up another blanket and laid over the top of them, exposing their heads. Ryo turned his back to Akira and moved up against him as Akira wrapped his arms around Ryo’s waist. The room was quiet again with only the soft breathing of the two sleeping. 

Whatever Ryo wanted to do today was up to him, it was his birthday after all. Akira had planned a surprise date for him to celebrate, with Ryo having absolutely no idea what Akira had in store for him other than the fact that they were going on a special date. He had been preparing for this for about a week, thinking about the different places they could go. He was excited as he would be able to treat Ryo and give him all the love. For right now, the dawn was still fairly young and it was peaceful, no demons or anything for a while. 

“Ryo?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too, baby.”

They both remained in bed with content silence for the next hour or so until the clock read close to 8:45. By that point, the sun was a little more visible and the ever-bright sunlight shone through the blinds onto the bed. It took a bit to stir Akira back from cuddle-induced sleep, but Ryo continued to sleep like the dead. Checking the time again, Akira very slowly slid away from Ryo until he turned and sat on the edge of the bed. With some motivation, he stood up, stretched and walked to the kitchen across the room to prepare the beginnings of breakfast.

Breakfast in their home was a simple, intimate affair; usually, the meal itself was rice, some grilled fish, maybe some miso soup, and coffee to drink. Speaking of coffee, Akira got the coffee-maker going before anything else because he knew that Ryo would want coffee first above all else. While the machine was brewing, Akira started to prepare some rice and fish. 

Soon the whole kitchen smelled of breakfast, which was enough for Ryo to groggily get up from the bed, seeing as his boyfriend was already up. Standing up from the bed, he muttered a few curse words before rubbing his eyes and joining Akira in the kitchen.

“Morning, birthday baby!”

Ryo didn’t respond but walked over to sit at the table, waiting for the lull of sleep to pass. Luckily for him, Akira had his coffee ready and poured a cup for him. He then gives Ryo a kiss as he passes Ryo’s mug to him, which he gladly accepts. He takes a swig of the unaltered black coffee and sighs, feeling the bitter aftertaste on his tongue. Akira got the fish and rice prepared, so he brought it over to the table.

“A little better?”

Ryo gave a little nod of affirmation and continued drinking his coffee. The breakfast was officially on the table and they quietly enjoyed the meal that was set. Akira actually knew how to cook more than he let on, which Ryo was grateful for as he was still learning how. At least he could drive better than Akira.

“So what do you wanna do today?”

Ryo thought it over for a minute.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I actually haven’t thought of anything.”

“That’s okay. We can figure it out once we get into town.”

“Alright.”

After they finished their meal, they both went back to the bedroom side of the home to get changed for the day. Akira put on a light orange button up paired with jeans while Ryo chose to put on an ice-blue blazer with matching pants and a white undershirt. Then, of course, was the bathroom fight every morning, which was really just the two of them poking fun at each other in jest. Ryo had so many beauty products on the bathroom counter that it baffled Akira just how in the world Ryo was able to identify which was what, which Akira was smart enough not to touch as Ryo took his routine very seriously. Akira just simply ran a comb through his hair, brushed his teeth and applied deodorant. As he does so, he watches Ryo put on a little makeup and is still amazed at the fact that Ryo’s eyelashes are just Like That™ without the use of mascara or anything. 

“Are you sure that you don’t put on mascara or something for those eyes of yours?”

“For the last time, my eyes have always been like that.”

“Just making sure.”

He couldn’t deny that Ryo’s eyes were incredibly pretty, even without the makeup on and such. Soon the morning routines were over and they were finally out the door and in the driveway. Akira had volunteered to drive this time, wanting Ryo to relax and enjoy himself. Akira turned on the ignition and soon the pair were driving off and within the city limits. The roads were not as busy this morning, which made the driving a little easier. Ryo looked out the window and glanced at all of the shops and people that passed by.

“Is there any place to park for a bit?” Akira chimed in. 

“There’s a lot down that street up ahead. We can try there.”

Akira heeded Ryo’s observation and turned onto the street to see one of those small parking lots that you had to pay a small fee to get in. Akira pulled in carefully and parked at the far corner of the lot. There were only a few spaces taken, which was nice considering how crowded places like this usually got. After paying the parking fee, the two proceeded down the sidewalk into the nearby shopping district. The bustling district was in full swing of the shopping day. There were families walking around and gawking at everything while mascots and the like walked around to entertain the children and promote the stores for advertisement. The shops themselves were either filled with the latest fashion of the season in the windows or baked goods and other foods in the window fresh from the kitchen. The place smelled sweet, like a warm sugar and cinnamon smell.

“So what do you wanna do first?”

“I don’t know yet. Let’s walk around a bit.”

“Okay.” 

They ended up staying almost the entire day wandering into various shops (Ryo would find something that caught his eye and Akira would follow him) and they shared a small snack of pocky as Akira would give him little pecks on the cheek and sometimes hold his hand. All the while, Ryo was cheerful, his eyes constantly glistening with little stars in them, making him appear cuter than he already was. 

“Having fun?”

“Yup!” Ryo smiled at him, receiving a kiss from Akira happily and snuggling up on his arm. 

The day soon turned to dusk as the streetlights came on and the sky began to darken to night. Regardless of this change, the shopping district was even busier than ever. There was still a surprise up Akira’s sleeve for Ryo as they headed to what looked like a family diner. 

“Where are we going to, Akira?”

“You’ll see!”

Akira opened the door with his arm to the restaurant, which was unusually empty at this hour. Akira leads him to the small table in the far corner near the edge of the bar. The entire place was simplistic: white tile floors with steel chrome tables lined up against the walls. There were some empty circular tables on the other side of the diner. 

“Akira?”

“Just a moment…”

A waitress in a blue dress came out to greet them and to take any orders. Coming upon their table, she took out a notepad and waited to write the order down.

“Evening! So what are we in the mood for?”

“Hey, I called earlier for ours.”

“Okie Dokie! What’s the name?”

“Akira.”

“Alright, I think I remember seeing that order float around. Let me check the back and I’ll let you know if I find it.”

“Thank you!”

The waitress bowed and ran back into the kitchen to look for the specific order. Akira then turned his attention back to Ryo, who was understandably confused.

“What’s wrong baby?”

“What order were you talking about?”

“Oh, I went ahead and placed our order so that it wouldn’t take as long. Why, did you have something different in mind?”

“No, no! I was just a little confused.”

“Oh okay.”

The conversation was interrupted by the waitress coming back out and telling them that the order did exist and that the kitchen was in the process to make it. Ryo couldn’t hide his excitement and Akira knew it, as Ryo had a habit of fidgeting about expectantly when excited. His eyes were also doing the thing again where they had little stars in them, making his blue moon eyes like ten times prettier. 

“You’re so cute, you know that?”

“Oh stop.”

“I’m serious!”

“Akiraaaa!”

Akira laughed gleefully as Ryo blushed profusely, Ryo was so easy to tease and it was adorable. The kitchen door opened to the waitress revealing a foot-tall fountain glass with various flavors of ice cream of mint, orange, and strawberry, and other little treats like chocolate pocky and strawberries with whipped cream and a cherry to complete the sundae. Ryo’s wide eyes and shocked expression said a million words as the waitress carefully placed the glass between the two of them on the table. 

“Enjoy!” The waitress chimed as she scurried away.

“Oh my God, Akira, you shouldn’t have!”

“Well, it’s your birthday and I swore that I would treat you the best,” Akira told him with a smile as he passed a spoon to Ryo, who immediately dug in and took a bite of orange ice cream. As much as Ryo didn’t want to admit it, he had a huge sweet tooth, so Akira was going to let him indulge in this as much as he wanted. Akira watched as his face turned to one of giggly glee and Akira had to keep from tackling him and make out right then and there. 

God, Ryo was adorable.

“Is it good?” Akira asked expectantly.

Ryo nodded quickly as Akira took to the cherry and ate it. They continued to bite into the icy treat, with Akira at one point taking a spoon full of ice cream and offering it to Ryo, who chomped down and enjoyed the spoonful. Akira then reached over the glass to try and kiss Ryo on the mouth, tasting bits of the strawberry ice cream on his lips. 

“You’re sweeter than this ice cream, angel.” Akira smoothly spoke to Ryo, whose face was getting warm again for the umpteenth time that evening and flapped his hands before hiding his face in them. 

They spent the next half-hour finishing up the sundae, enjoying it down to the last bite. After Akira paid the bill, he and Ryo exited the diner, feeling full and a little sleepy. The night was still fairly young but they wanted to get home before it got too dark. They walked back down to the sidewalk and followed it back to the lot where their car was. Checking for anything suspicious and finding nothing, they opened the doors and entered inside, Akira starting the ignition while Ryo was getting situated. The low rumble of the car’s engine was present as Akira carefully backed out and left the parking lot. Driving down the road to leave the city limits, both men were tired but content with what happened today. Ryo was happily content with the attention that he received and Akira was satisfied that he was able to properly treat his boyfriend for his birthday this year. The road back to the house was a quiet one, the only noise was the rumbling engine as the car pulled back into the driveway. Akira then turned the car off.

“Oh yeah, I got you a present.”

“A present? I thought the sundae was the present.”

“Well, that was one of them. Gimme a sec.” Akira then reached over the seat to the backseat where he lifted the blanket to pull out an amateur's attempt at a wrapped present. The wrapping paper was a blue-and-white-polka-dot print that had tape in odd places and parts of it ripped at the corners. At least he tried.

“Oh gosh, Akira.”

“Sorry for the crap job of wrapping.”

“Well, you’re better than me. Let’s see here…”

Akira held his breath as Ryo slowly unwrapped and tore away the paper to find a white cardboard box, the kind you would get at clothing department stores for gifts. Ryo took off the lid and undid the tissue paper to let out a literal squeal of joy as his present was a new, charcoal-gray trench-coat. 

“Oh my God, Akira! Where the hell did you find this?”

“Found it the other day on sale and thought to get you one next to that tan one you have. You like it?”

“You kidding me, I love it!” Ryo quickly reached over the center console to give Akira a tight hug, which he received happily in return. 

“You’re too good for me. I don’t deserve you.”

“Awww, don’t say that, angel. I’m more than happy to take care of you because you’re wonderful and adorable. Love you!”

“Love you, too. baby. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome~”

They held the hug for another moment before breaking away and getting their things together. Akira got out of the car followed by Ryo carrying a few shopping bags from the passenger seat.

“Here, let me get that.” Akira volunteered to take the bags from Ryo as they both walked up the porch.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Ryo returned the favor by unlocking the door, but before Ryo got it open, they both heard a strange noise, a strange noise like a baby animal crying out. They both looked around and all over the place trying to find the source of the sound only to hear it again, this time coming from behind one of the nearby plants on the left side of the porch. Ryo slowly walked to the plants as Akira hurriedly dropped the bags on the floor by the television in the living room before joining Ryo back on the porch. Ryo knelt down to look behind a few pots of plants and softly gasped. Akira knelt down next to him to see what Ryo had found. Their eyes widened at what they found. 

The source of the noise was a puppy, a two-month-old English Mastiff puppy covered in mud and dirt, and looked so miserable that Ryo started tearing up from a breaking heart. 

Akira tried to lure the puppy out of its hiding spot. With some convincing, the puppy stumbled toward them slowly, the mud sliding off of its fur. The puppy went for Akira's cupped hands and Akira picked it up, trying to scrape off any mud and dirt.

“Oh my God, look at him,” Ryo whispered shocked, his hand covering his mouth with pity.

They managed to get the remaining dirt out of its face, causing the puppy to become a little more lively, happily barking in gratitude. Akira and Ryo both looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Of all the things Akira planned for Ryo's birthday, he wasn't planning for this.


	2. 1+1+1=3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now a puppy has entered their lives, a whole new world has opened up for them

So this was an unexpected turn of events this evening.

The English Mastiff puppy squirmed in Akira's hands as they both walk back into the apartment. Akira tried to keep the mud from off of the floor as Ryo ran into the kitchen to grab a towel. Ryo was able to grab one of the small towels from the counter near the sink and helped Akira wrap the towel around the puppy before treading any further into the house. 

“Easy, baby, you’re okay.” Ryo tried to soothe the puppy as he brought it to the edge of the sink, where he placed the puppy on the towel on the counter. The puppy started to lick his hands cutely as Ryo carefully unwrapped the towel, making Ryo’s heart soft. Ryo always did have a soft spot in his heart for animals, especially small animals like this. 

“So what should we do?”

“Well, it’s a given that we’re gonna have to keep him overnight. We’ll have to take him in tomorrow to see Mrs. Yuko to get him a health check-up. He looks fine at least, just dirty,” Ryo replied as he turned on the water faucet to a low setting, “I can wash him if you can cook some meat or something like that.”

“You sure you don’t want me to run to the store in town and grab something?”

“I think they’re closed for the evening already. Don’t worry, we can use the chicken in the freezer.”

“Can dogs eat meat like that?”

“Yes, but it has to be cooked unseasoned. I don’t think that it can be a regular thing because it could cause stomach problems, especially with how young he is.”

Akira couldn’t really question Ryo on this knowledge, given his track record of taking care of his dog John, along with the other pets Ryo has had over the years. So Akira took out a small package of chicken and proceeded to prepare it by cutting it into small chunks. Meanwhile, Ryo already had the puppy in the sink and was in the process of washing him with only the dish soap on hand. The puppy barked happily as Ryo was able to wash off the mud and dirt out of its fur. Ryo was also mumbling something…

_Wait, not mumbling._

_“Who's a good boy? You are! We're gonna get ya all clean and fed, okay? You got nothing to worry about.”_

Akira looked over to see Ryo smiling and cooing in some kind of quiet baby-talk with the puppy and it was _adorable._

“Having fun over there?”

“I am, actually. It's also kinda relaxing, y’know?”

“Yeah.”

Akira turned his attention to the chicken in the pan which was almost done. He stirred the chunks around, making sure that they were evenly cooked. He was actually a little worried about him and Ryo taking in this puppy, especially with what happened to John…

But Ryo looked surprisingly okay and so Akira was able to breathe a sigh of relief, for now anyway. He looked over to see Ryo rinsing the dog off. Akira immediately braced himself because although he never had a dog, he knew enough about them to know what was about to come next. The puppy suddenly started shaking its fur around, causing water to go everywhere. The sudden reaction made Ryo yelp in surprise and try to shield himself from the water. Akira did the same as the whole sink was covered in water and soap. The puppy stopped after a minute but not after drenching poor Ryo and even Akira a little on his left side. The puppy wagged his tail and barked happily, awaiting some response. 

Akira waited for Ryo to respond, who was in the process of flapping his jacket to air it out to dry. There is a moment of silence before Akira’s hearing picked up some quiet giggling. The quiet giggling gradually increased in volume to actually laughing as Ryo was producing the sweetest laughter in human history. Needless to say, Akira was more than a little confused.

“Ryo? You okay?”

Ryo simply nodded as he grabbed a nearby washcloth to wipe off some of the water.

“I figured I should’ve expected this.” Ryo replied with a grin before rolling his sleeves up and carefully picking up the puppy to place on the counter. He then took the washcloth and began to pat the puppy down, careful around the face. Akira turned back to the pan of chicken, which was more than done at this point as he took it off the stove top, turning it off, and went to go grab a plate. Ryo had finished wiping the puppy down, its chocolate fur and dark snout all clean, and was now holding him in his arms, providing a few kisses even.

“So the chicken’s done?”

“Yup! Just gotta let it cool down first for a minute.” Akira replied as he put the chunks of chicken onto the plate with the spatula. He then turned the stove off and followed Ryo to the bed as they both sat down on the edge. 

“There, all clean now! We’re gonna feed you in a minute, okay?”

The puppy in his lap barked as Ryo happily scratched under his ears, humming with glee. 

The whole scene was calming to Akira; seeing the love of his life being genuinely happy and invested like this with a puppy on his birthday brought warmth to his heart, even if the puppy part was unexpected. Ryo deserved to be happy, and Akira was going to make sure that Ryo was happy and cared for. He tested one of the chunks of chicken to see if it was cool enough to consume. 

“So how is it?”

Akira made a face of mild discomfort and disgust as he ate the chicken piece, answering Ryo’s question.

“It’s definitely cooled off, but it’s really bland.”

“Alright then, let’s see if he’ll eat some of it.”

Ryo sat closer to Akira so that the puppy could get to the chicken. Akira picked up a small piece of chicken with the chopsticks that he had and offered it to the puppy, who sniffed it a moment before slowly accepting the piece of chicken, chewing on it slowly. Ryo kept him calm as he stroke his fur, watching the puppy eat the chicken. Its eating soon picked up and eventually it was eating normally, much to the relief of Akira and Ryo. 

“He’s taking it quite well.”

“Yeah.”

The puppy ate seven pieces of chicken before curling back into Ryo’s lap, yawning cutely and making Ryo’s heart do the thing where it gets really soft and he makes that one noise that, when translated, means “ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod this is so precious I’m gONNA DIE”

Ryo is so cute and Akira couldn’t stand it.

“We gotta take a bath but I don’t wanna leave himmmmm.”

Oh dear. Akira knew that the second this puppy came into their lives that Ryo would immediately grow attached. In fact, it took him a few minutes to convince Ryo to leave the puppy alone to rest on the bed. 

They both walked into the bathroom as Akira immediately turned got the tub running with warm water, just hot enough to soothe aching muscles but not enough to scald. Ryo started to take his shirt off, placing it into the little bin by the door. He continued to undress as Akira kept testing the warm water.

“You ready, angel?”

Ryo quietly nodded as he stepped over the rim and sat down, immediately feeling the soothing effects of the bath. Akira stood up and proceeded to undress as well, his clothing smoothly shedding off like old skin. Ryo tried to convince himself that it was the warm bathwater that was making him blush as he admired Akira's muscles, so strong and firm and yet, so soft-looking.

“You okay there?”

Akira's question snapped him out of his gay-induced stupor as he found himself staring.

“Yes, I’m fine. Wait, before you come in, can you check on the puppy, please? I just don’t want the poor thing to worry.”

“I will, I will.” Akira replied with a kind smile as he gave Ryo a quick peck to the forehead before walking out of the bathroom and into their bedroom to find the puppy sleeping soundly in a wave of blankets; he looked so tiny in the bed they shared. After a moment, Akira turned back into the bathroom, leaving the door open so that the puppy could wander in case he woke up. He was greeted by his boyfriend, whose kneecaps and head were the only body parts visible in the bath. 

“C’mere!” Ryo requested, holding his arms out with grabby hands. Akira smiled at him as he stepped into the bath alongside him, greeted by warm water and soft hands. He sat down next to Ryo, then picked him up to place him in his lap so that Ryo could lie up against him. Ryo snuggled up to his boyfriend, placing his head on Akira’s chest and felt strong arms wrap around him as they cuddled in the bath. 

It was quiet and content in the bathroom. Ryo loved spending time like this, in fact, it was one of his favorite parts of the evening. Everything in the bathroom was warm, misty and soft, almost to the point that Ryo fell asleep, but not before he felt some lips on his shoulder leaving little kisses and hands stroking and caressing his skin.

“Do you want this to continue, or do you want me to wash you now?”

“Don’t stop, baby, this feels nice…”

“Okay, angel. Just relax.”

Akira heard Ryo hum contently as he continued his little gestures of love, taking in the hums and moans Ryo was making. Ryo thought his heart was gonna burst at this rate; Akira was being so gentle with his hands and so generous with his kisses that the whole scene was euphoric. He then felt Akira’s hands move up to his head and do what felt like a scalp massage, his fingers scissoring through his blonde hair. This calmed Ryo down immensely as he felt himself almost melting at the massage. 

“Is this okay?”

“Yessss…”

Akira laid a kiss in his hair and with one hand, he reached over for the shampoo bottle to squirt a small amount on his hand. Akira ran his hands through Ryo’s hair to work in the shampoo, creating bubbles in the process.

“Watch your eyes.”

Ryo scrapped some of the foam away and tried blowing into it make even more bubbles and actually succeeded a little as small bubbles began to float around in the bathroom. One of them floated back over to Ryo who popped it and watched its remains float down into the bathwater.

“You okay, Ryo?”

“Yeah, just thinking.”

“About what?”

“I was thinking about taking the puppy with us to work tomorrow and have Mrs. Yuko take a look at him. Just a check-up, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get it. Plus, we can keep an eye on him that way and he can play around and stuff while we’re working.”

“Yup!”

Mrs. Yuko was a doctor and the co-owner of a veterinary clinic/ rescue pet pound where they both worked at part-time. She also was an old family friend and basically a second mother to them as well. Akira gave Ryo a five-second warning before taking a large cup of water and waterfalling Ryo to clear the shampoo foam. Akira laughed as Ryo gave him a look but quickly forgave him as Akira then applied conditioner. They continued to stay in the bath for a little bit longer.

Having finished and were dressed in their nightwear, Ryo in his light pink nightwear and Akira in a white shirt and boxers, they walk out and into the bedroom where the puppy woke up to greet them. Ryo knelt down and happily began to pet the excited puppy as Akira set the laundry bin down at the edge of the bed. He looked over and noticed an oddly-colored spot on one of the blankets, like a liquid was spilled onto it.

“Umm Ryo?”

“Yes?”

“Was that spot on the blue blanket there before?”

“What are you talking about?” Ryo questioned as he looked to where Akira was pointing and noticed the off-color spot. They both stared at it for a moment before it clicked what the spot was. 

“Oh no, I knew we were forgetting something. I'll go put this in the wash if you can watch him a minute.” Ryo said as he picked up the blanket to put into the wash. Akira then picked up the puppy and walked around the apartment to see if anything was out of place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so he sat down on the bed with the puppy in his lap, playing with his hands and waiting on Ryo. Ryo, meanwhile, was in the laundry room taking care of the soiled blanket by putting it in the wash and adding detergent. He turned the machine on and walked back into the bedroom where Akira was still playing with the puppy. The puppy saw Ryo and crawled over Akira’s lap to get to Ryo. 

“It’s okay baby, accidents happen.” Ryo cooed as he reached to pet him. The only light that was on at the moment was the small lamp on the nightstand, providing a soft glow in the room. The clock read 9:47 pm, yet the night looked fairly young outside. They both played with the puppy for a bit before Ryo watch Akira yawn and give a tired expression. 

“It’s a little early to go to sleep, but are you tired?”

“Yeah, I am a little. Let’s go ahead and get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

Akira snuck into the covers first by scooting over and holding the puppy as Ryo slid in after him. Akira then set the puppy down, who crawled up to the two of them and slept right in between their heads. 

“Hey now, you're in the way.” Akira playfully chastised the puppy, who barked in response, the whole exchange making Ryo giggle.

Their hands and legs were intertwined in the covers and Akira reached over to give a good night kiss to Ryo, who happily accepted and they both gave a kiss to the puppy’s head, making him smack his tail against the bed in excitement. The puppy yawn again before dozing off.

“He’s so cute. I still can't believe we just unofficially adopted a puppy.”

“Same here. So what did you think?”

“What did I think? Well, I thought that today was a lot of fun.”

“Good. I love you~”

“Love you too, baby,”

So the day ended with an unexpected new member to the couple in the apartment. Akira wasn’t sure what to make of all of this, but if his means that Ryo’s happy, then it would be worth it. He watched Ryo fall asleep, his soft breathing the only thing heard. Akira yawned again and joined them both in Dreamland.


	3. Surprise at the Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The puppy learns a thing or two about the new owners with the boyfriends getting a surprise of their own.

The morning started to reveal its face in the form of warm colors in the brightening sky as the sunrise rose to greet the world. The view outside was gorgeous with the clouds reflecting the pink tones of the sky. All is quiet in the world with some nearby noise in the city as people travel to work and school in various vehicles. The world is almost aesthetically pleasing.

_Almost. ___

__In the apartment of Akira and Ryo, things were rather unconventionally peaceful and not necessarily attractive. In bed, Akira had his whole body sprawled out like a cat on it’s back, snoring away quietly. On his side, Ryo was snuggled up next to him with a messy bedhead and even bags under his eyes. Sleeping on the blanket that covered their legs and feet, the two-month-old puppy yawned and shook his entire body before stepping across the bedding landscape to greet his new owners for the morning. He walked on top of Akira’s stomach up to his chest where Ryo was, who was still asleep. The puppy lied down on all fours and proceeded to lick Ryo’s face, specifically his nose. All Ryo responded with was a twitch of the nose and a shuffle in his sleeping position but nothing more. The puppy tried again, even whining a little to try to get Ryo to wake up._ _

__Now the slight noise was enough to wake Akira, who through slitted eyes and tiredness was able to see the puppy trying to wake up Ryo. The puppy then barked to try to wake him up, which made Akira snap awake. He shot up out of bed and practically snatched up the puppy like he was stealing him. Ryo made a disgruntled hum before turning over in his sleep._ _

__“Noooo, let’s not do that,” Akira advised the puppy, who was wagging his tail and panting happily, “Ryo is a grumpy gay with a gun, and I don’t think you’d want to see that.”_ _

__Akira then set the puppy down on the floor as he turned and stood up slowly as the weariness from sleep took its sweet time fading away. Akira yawned as he went to the front door to let the puppy out outside to the front porch. The air was relatively cool, a morning breeze coming by the house. The puppy went down the stairs into the grass by the steps. Akira sat down on the top step and yawned widely as the puppy did its morning business and then came back to greet Akira. The puppy came up between Akira's legs and put his front paws on Akira's stomach as Akira gave him a good scratch under the ears._ _

__“Come on, let's get back inside before Ryo wakes up without coffee.”_ _

__He picks up the puppy like a small child with his head on Akira's shoulder and walked back into the house._ _

__Thank God, Ryo's still asleep._ _

__Akira went into the kitchen and set the puppy down so that he could get breakfast started. The puppy, of course, laid up against his legs right by Akira's feet so Akira had to be extra careful when moving around. He turned the coffee pot on first of things after adding the spoonfuls of coffee grounds, making it strong like Ryo liked it. He then proceeded to make some miso soup._ _

__Ryo's morning eyes were red and weary from sleep, the scent of coffee waking him up. With a grunt and some stretching, Ryo rose slowly out of bed, the covers sliding off of him, and shuffled tiredly into the kitchen._ _

__“Morning, baby. The coffee's almost done, just needs a minute.”_ _

__“Alright. I'm gonna pee and come back.”_ _

__“Okay, take your time. I’ll have it ready for you.”_ _

__Ryo gave an incoherent hum for affirmation then went into the hall to the bathroom. Akira then started to put the fish on. The coffee pot gave a little noise that it was done so Akira reached up to the cabinet above him to grab a mug. He poured the coffee into the mug as Ryo stumbled back out into the kitchen. He took the mug from Akira and walked to the table where he was greeted with enthusiastic barks from the puppy. Akira worried that Ryo would snap at the puppy for making a ruckus, but it surprised him to find that Ryo didn't react at all, but merely smiled at the puppy._ _

__Akira found this odd since Ryo was infamously known to snap at any disturbances before his first-morning sip of coffee. Here, he had a tiny smile as he petted the puppy with the mug in one hand._ _

__Akira wasn't sure what to make of this except that it was cute and that he wished a camera was available to take a picture of the sight._ _

__“Sleep well, angel?”_ _

__Ryo nodded and took another sip of coffee as Akira went over to kiss Ryo’s head._ _

__“Yes, though it took a little used to. It's been a long time since I had a dog sleeping in bed like that. It feels kinda nice.”_ _

__“Well, I’m glad, though I thought you liked the puppy more than me.” Akira teased._ _

__‘I do not! I love you both equally!”_ _

__“Sure, sure.” Akira teased further as he set the meal down on the table and took out the chicken from last night to heat it up enough so that the puppy wouldn’t get cold food. Ryo took another swig of his coffee, feeling a lot more awake now that before._ _

__Soon breakfast was served and they were eating the small meal placed on the table. The puppy was eating the remainder of the cooked chicken at the corner of the table on the floor. The radio was on with a newscaster broadcasting the current events and other news on the air._ _

__All in all, it was relatively quiet._ _

__Until the puppy saw a bird on the windowsill by the bed and got excited._ _

__The puppy dashed to the bed to jump on it, missing the first time but landed the second time as he hopped around on the bed, barking at the bird on the windowsill._ _

__If the boys weren't already awake, they certainly were now. They both watched the puppy go ballistic as the bird simply flew away, barking his head off and running around the bed. It was enough to get Akira up from the table and to the bed to pick up the puppy._ _

__“Aye, aye, aye, you're a loud one. The bird’s already gone and you’ll be worn out before we get to the clinic.” Akira told the puppy as he picked up the small dog and brought him back into the kitchen._ _

__“John used to do the same thing, so I don't worry about it too much.”_ _

__“I figured. We gotta get going, we have to work today.”_ _

__“Oh, that's right.”_ _

__They took the day off yesterday for Ryo's birthday but now they had to go back to work._ _

__The breakfast ended as they both got changed into their uniforms, a light-blue, one-piece coveralls with short sleeves. Of course, the bathroom fight was still there and lively, as usual, this time with the puppy watching his new owners from outside in the hallway._ _

__“You’re gonna be sweating that makeup off, why do you bother putting it on?”_ _

__“Because I want to, and I like looking nice. Besides, this is the stuff that keeps me from looking like a tired zombie.”_ _

__“You’re not a tired zombie, hell, you look like an angel even at your worst.”_ _

__“Well, that’s comforting.”_ _

__“I’m serious!”_ _

__“You’re too nice to me…”_ _

__“It’s because I love you regardless of how you look, whether it be your date night best or your morning worst.”_ _

__“Honey…”_ _

__Ryo felt a warm kiss on his temple and smiled just as warmly. Even though Akira may not be best at words at times, he still knew how to make Ryo smile, even without realizing it. The puppy barking in the hallway made them snap back to reality, remembering that they needed to finish getting ready._ _

__“Oh sh-! We need to go!” Akira exclaimed noting the clock on the wall._ _

__The three were soon out the door and in the car, with Ryo driving this time and Akira in the passenger seat with the puppy in his lap. The silver Starion started up, drove off the driveway and into the street, where Ryo stepped on it and soon they would reach the city limits in a few minutes flat. During the drive, Akira kept the puppy calm by petting him in his lap with the puppy pawing at the window._ _

__“Ryo slow down! We’re not that late and we have a puppy in the front seat.”_ _

__“I’m well aware of that, but you know how bad traffic on that side of town gets at this hour.”_ _

__The animal clinic was on the other side of the city toward the harbor. To get there, it would have to require going through multiple streets of traffic and heavily-populated parts of town. Akira knew he should’ve driven today, he had a feeling Ryo would try to fly across town to reach their destination. Last time Ryo drove like this, Akira was still his old self and the topic of demons had come to light for the first time._ _

__“Hang on.”_ _

__“Wha-?”_ _

__Ryo turned on a dime to the right, drifting with the tires screaming on the asphalt as he did so with Akira gripping the dog in one hand and the other gripping the car handle for dear life._ _

__This is why Akira usually drove because Ryo would try to some drag-racing drift crap that could very easily kill a poor passerby in the street. After about ten minutes of speeding through town (and wondering how the hell they didn’t get pulled over), they reached the animal shelter/clinic, Furukawa Animal Shelter and Clinic. The park about two spaces from the door and proceed to get out of the vehicle, Akira holding the puppy in his arms as they both walked in the front door. They both walked to the reception desk in order to clock in and start the day._ _

__“Morning you two. You’re five minutes away from being considered late.”_ _

__Akira didn’t have to turn to see Ryo’s face but he could visibly see that stupid, smug grin and his face that read “I told ya so”._ _

__“Alright, gimme a sec to grab the sign-in sheet. Who’s this baby?”_ _

__“Oh, we found him last night by our house and we wanted him to get a check-up to make sure everything was okay.”_ _

__“Alright, well I’m sure Mrs. Yuko will take a good look at him.” She assured them both as she placed the edge of the clipboard on the edge of the counter. Since Akira had his hands full, Ryo signed them both in and grabbed their badges, placing Akira’s badge on his shirt pocket. They then open the door to the right of the reception desk and walked down the little hallway to one of the three rooms on the left side._ _

__The entire place was lively and boisterous as it usually was: there was a myriad of animal sounds of barks, meows and a loud cockatiel cawing somewhere. One of the vet volunteers walked, carrying a small kitten with some medicine. The room that they were waiting in had various colorful charts of health and diagrams as well as some old reproduction cartoons from the early twentieth century that were of course animal-themed. Akira and Ryo waited with Akira scratching the puppy under the ears and occasionally giving a kiss on the head._ _

__The door on the other side of the examination room opened to reveal Mrs. Yuko herself, a much older woman in her late 70s with silver gray hair and small frame. They piped up seeing her and the puppy even caught on at the sight of a new person._ _

__“Morning boys! How are we today?” She gave a warm greeting._ _

__“We’re doing well, ma’am. How about you?” Akira replied to the question._ _

__“I’m doing well myself! I finally got Mr. Satou’s cat to eat properly so that’s a blessing.”_ _

__“Oh, that’s good.” Ryo chimed in._ _

__“Well, what have we here? Bring the pup up to the table.”_ _

__They both stood up and walked up to the examination table where Akira put the puppy down, but he and Ryo continued to pet him to calm him. Mrs. Yuko, meanwhile got her medical tools to examine the puppy properly. She started by checking the external condition of the puppy’s body. She hummed as did so, a habit that the young men had known for quite some time since they started working there._ _

__“So how did you find this little one?”_ _

__“Well, we found him yesterday on our front porch last night covered in mud from the rainstorm. So we took him in and cleaned him up. Didn’t have a collar or anything.” Akira explained._ _

__Seeing as there was nothing wrong about the puppy externally, she then moved on to the face, where she then examined the face more closely and the teeth._ _

__“Has the puppy eaten anything?”_ _

__“The only thing he’s been fed is cooked, unseasoned chicken,” Ryo responded._ _

__Mrs. Yuko gave a hum of affirmation as she continued to examine the puppy. She saw something on the lower part of the stomach toward the hind right leg. It was a dark-colored scar about three inches long and thick as a pencil._ _

__“You see something?”_ _

__“Check this out,” Mrs. Yuko pointed out the scar, “This is fairly recent, too. It looks like it’s healed up for the most part.”_ _

__After a few moments, she finished the check-up after checking the heart-rate. She wrote down the results on her clipboard and placed the stethoscope around her neck._ _

__“Well, there are no problems, at least none that I can see. Looks and acts normal.”_ _

__“How old do you think he is?”_ _

__“I’d say she’s about two months, maybe three.”_ _

___Wait._ _ _

__This puppy is… _a girl?__ _

__“Sorry, you said ‘she’?”_ _

__“Yup, it’s a baby girl.”_ _

__Akira and Ryo both looked at each other, mildly surprised. Of all of the surprises they could have gotten, they weren’t expecting this one._ _

__“What’s with the faces?”_ _

__“We thought the puppy was a boy the whole time.”_ _

__Mrs. Yuko laughed wholeheartedly like she had just heard the funniest joke. Ryo and Akira were both a little confused by the sudden response. They had been so worried about the health and state of the puppy that they didn’t even bother to check the gender. After a moment, Mrs. Yuko’s laughter subsided as she got back down to business._ _

__“Yes, the puppy is a girl, a healthy two-month-old girl. Do we have a name for this puppy?”_ _

__Akira looked at Ryo for a moment, waiting for his boyfriend to respond._ _

__“What are you looking at me for?”_ _

__“Well, the puppy is kind of your unexpected birthday present, so it’s only fair that you get to name her.”_ _

__“Very well.”_ _

__Ryo started to think it over, but it was rather obvious to Akira that Ryo was about to have a panic attack trying to come up with a name for the puppy, given the "deer in headlights" look._ _

__“Just say the first name that comes to mind-”_ _

__“-Betty.”_ _

__“………Betty?”_ _

__“Yes. The puppy’s name is Betty.”_ _

__Of all the things that Ryo could have possibly named this puppy, he names her Betty._ _

__“You wanna name this puppy Betty?”_ _

__“Yes, I do.”_ _

__“Okay then.”_ _

__“Alright, I’ll go ahead and get the paperwork. She’s basically yours if the previous owners don’t come looking for her. I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Yuko told them as she walked out the door to go grab the papers to add to medical records. They both looked down at the puppy with Betty looking up at them expectantly, wagging her tail so hard she was moving her whole body. Akira smiled as Betty laid down on her side and Akira gave her a good belly rub, watching her tail smack the counter._ _

__“Welp, now the puppy has official paperwork and a name. She’s actually ours now!”_ _

__“Yup. Now the question is, how are we gonna get the stuff, like dog food and things like that?”_ _

__It sounded like a stupid question, but Akira had a point; there were a lot of things needed to properly care for the dog. At least Ryo still had his substantial inheritance from his dad, but still._ _

__“I’m sure we’ll come up with something. We can try and see if we can bum off some basic supplies.”_ _

__“Let’s hope so.”_ _

__Mrs. Yuko eventually came back with the papers and soon Betty the puppy was now official, full medical records and all. Mrs. Yuko gave Betty a bright red collar for “identification purposes”, complete with a dog tag the shape of a bone. Ryo got to hold the puppy in his arms and proceeded to baby talk and lavish love on Betty, something that lightened Akira’s heart greatly._ _

__Ryo had never been happier; first, he and Akira became a real couple and now they have a small dog that they can claim as theirs._ _


	4. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What better way to spend a day off than at the beach?

_A month later_

In the last room on the right at the end of the colorful hallway, sounds of baby yelping and barking echoed from the room. Entering the room, one would find an abundance of puppies and kittens of various breeds all sprawled out all over the room.

Some were napping in a few places.

Some were playing with a chew-toy or some toy of sorts.

Some of them were crawling all over a certain Ryo Asuka, who was having the time of his life getting blissed out on the floor on his back. 

This was the daily “play-time” where the baby animals were let loose for about a few hours for exercise, usually for when it was raining, which it was as water droplets snaked down the glass window outside. It was Ryo’s turn for the hour and he loved every bit of it.

Little Betty was playing with a chew toy that was a tied up rope with large knots at the end of them. She threw it about, sometimes launching it and she would run to retrieve it. Another puppy, a Dalmatian puppy, came over to join in the fun and proceeded to a game of playful tug-of-war with Betty. Betty had been there for a month now and had quickly adjusted to the life at the clinic as Akira and Ryo would bring her every time they had a shift. Betty herself had grown quite a bit since she was adopted, now at a healthy thirty-six pounds at twelve weeks old. With the paperwork in order, she was officially under the care of Akira and Ryo, with the latter being particularly ecstatic about the new puppy. All in all, the atmosphere of the playroom was a cheerful one, in stark contrast to the rainy weather outside. 

There was a knock at the door, causing Ryo to look up from the floor to find his boyfriend in the doorway with a calico cat in his arms and in front of the barrier to keep the baby animals from wandering into the hall. 

“Having fun?” 

“Yeah. It’s always a good day to play with some of these cuties.” Ryo responded as Akira knelt down to sit on the floor next to him. Ryo, for the first time that afternoon, sat up and scooted over to Akira, watching the kittens and puppies play about. Betty wobbled over to her owners and went to crawl into Ryo’s lap, being rewarded with Ryo’s hands giving her good scratching around the ears and a good pet.

“ _Who’s a good girl? You are!_ ” Ryo talked in that baby-talk that Akira loved so much. It honestly didn’t get old with Akira, who loved seeing Ryo happy and playing with the puppy. 

“I can’t believe we have to go home in that,” Ryo commented on the rain outside.

“Well, we might get lucky and have it lessen up by the time we clock out.”

“Psh, I wish. Is it almost time already?”

“Yeah, it’s five minutes to five. We gotta get ready to go.”

“Alright, I’ll try to grab someone to help me round these little babies up.”

“I can do that, don’t worry about it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I can help with that! Just let me go ahead and put Toki in her cage for the evening.”

“Alright.”

Akira got up from the floor to go over the barrier and down the hall to put Toki back into her cage in the room next door. At the same time, Ryo got up from off of the floor and braced himself to pick up all of the puppies, finding it a tad difficult to pick up and hold several squirming puppies since his arms could only hold so much. He honestly wished his arms were bigger so that he could hold more, but that’s one of the things that Akira was there for, who was currently with him and snatching up kittens like clothes off the floor, except gentle about it. Soon his arms were holding four kittens and three puppies along with Ryo’s two puppies and two kittens. They carefully stepped over to the room next door to place the kittens into the combined, open cages, watching the active little balls of fluff crawl about in their temporary home. 

A whine came from the playroom as Betty tried to headbutt the barrier to walk through.

“Just a moment, Betty. We’re coming to get you!” Ryo assured her as Akira placed the last of the animals into a comfortable cage, shutting the door and locking the hatch.

“Bye, everyone! It was a lot of fun!” Ryo cooed with a smile as he walked out and followed Akira into the hall as his boyfriend picked up their English Mastiff, who was shaking about and wagging her tail excited as Akira held her with her head on his shoulder.

“Hey, baby! Did you fun today?” Ryo asked Betty as he gave her a good scratch on the back of her neck.

They walked down the hall quietly, the animals still lively as ever. The door at the end of the hall opposite the doorframe leading to the waiting room open to reveal Mrs. Yuko, who had just gotten done with her last appointment for the evening.

“You boys heading home now?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright, you drive safely, you hear? The weather is supposed to be like this all night.”

Akira assured her that they would, especially with him insisting on being behind the wheel in this weather. They walk back to the front counter to clock out with Ryo grabbing an umbrella to keep them both dry and then they proceeded to run out into the rain on the way to their car. It wasn’t raining as bad before but they and Betty were still drenched from the downpour of rain as they sunk into the car seats with Betty now in Ryo’s lap, half-asleep and content. They both sat there a moment, feeling themselves relax.

After a moment of silence and watching the rain, Akira spoke up.

“Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t it our day off tomorrow?”

Ryo thought it over for a minute before coming to the conclusion that yes, they both had a day off tomorrow all day.

“Oh yeah, forgot about that.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, let’s get home first before one of us catches a cold.”

“Good idea.” Akira agreed as he turned the ignition to the car, and drove out of the parking lot and through the city. The streets weren’t crowded as few people were either inside restaurants or shops, or they were already home for the evening. The ride back was a calm one as Akira caught Ryo almost nodding off a few times. He couldn’t wait to get home so that he could cuddle his boyfriend and have all three in bed under the covers in each other’s warmth after a warm meal and a warm bath. Akira smiled at the thought as they neared the apartment, giving a tap on Ryo’s shoulder to alert him. The Starion pulled into the driveway as the night drew near. 

“Baby, we’re home. Lemme go ahead and get Betty.”

“Okay.” Ryo quietly replied as Akira reached over the center console to pick up the dog and Ryo stepped out of the vehicle to open the door for Akira. Akira got out carefully with Betty in his arms, the rain almost ceasing down to a trickle as they headed up the porch and into the house. Betty yawned as they enter the home and felt Akira put her down on the floor so that she could walk around. Akira and Ryo took their shoes off at the front door and dried themselves off with the washcloth in the kitchen.

“So do you wanna eat first or bath first? Better yet, _do you want me first?”_

“Oh stop!” Ryo’s cheeks were tinted pink as he playfully swatted Akira for the joke. Akira laughed at the reaction, fully aware of how to push his buttons just enough to make him flustered.

“Alright, alright, I kid. Seriously though, bath or food first?”

“Bath first. I’m not too hungry at the moment.”

“Alright then, I’ll get the bath running.”

As Akira walked into the bathroom to start the bath with a smug grin on his face. Ryo crossed his arms and huffed, trying not to think about the implications of the joke, no matter how playful the joke may have seemed. Then again though, Akira may have been a little serious about it…

Ryo shook his head to rid himself of any and all impure thoughts and stomped into the bathroom.

_Next morning_

The next morning was a rather warm one, but not so much so that it was blistering hot, at least not yet. It was 9:37 am on the clock as the house was up and lively preparing for a special day.

For their day off, Akira and Ryo had thought about taking Betty and going to the beach nearby. 

The puppy barked excitedly as Akira helped Ryo put their beach bag together, putting towels, sunscreen and all that. Betty picked up her favorite toy, a blue-and-white knot rope and dashed over to give it to Akira to put into the bag amongst the other stuff.

“You wanna add this to the bag?”

Betty barked happily as a reply, making Akira smile warmly.

“Well, I don’t see why not,” Akira assured her as he put the toy into the beach bag. Ryo was in the other room getting dressed in a white tank and blue shorts. Akira joined him as he grabbed his black Speedo from the drawer. Ryo couldn’t help but sneak a peak from behind as he watched Akira slide it on. They’ve been in an established relationship for almost half a year now and Ryo’s face still gets red every time he got to admire the work of art that was Akira Fudo. He really hoped he didn’t catch him staring as Akira through a gray shirt and black shorts.

“Like what ya see, angel?”

Dang it, he’d been caught.

“You’re adorable, you know that? We’ve been together for so long now and you still act so shy. Not that I mind, it’s cute on you.” Akira teased with a bit of softness to his voice. Ryo felt his hands on his shoulders and warm lips kiss his forehead. Akira heard a giggle and proceeded to kiss all over Ryo’s face, making Ryo giggle some more.

The mood was interrupted by barking, They looked down to find Betty at their feet in between them, jumping on her hind legs to reach up for some attention of her own. Akira laughed a little and knelt down to provide Betty with some attention by giving her a good pet and even a little belly rub.

“ _You’re getting to be a big girl! Yes, you are! C’mere baby!_ ” Akira cooed as he picked up the three-month-old puppy with her proceeding to attack his face with licks and wet kisses, making Akira scrunch his face up comically and Ryo trying to hold back his laughter.

“Well, if we’re going, we gotta move. The beach is gonna get crowded and we won’t find a spot.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“I’ll get the beach bag if you get her. Also, I’m driving.”

“Can you please drive like a normal person?”

“Come on Akira, have we ever gotten pulled over?”

Akira gave him a look that boiled down to “really?” before pushing the thought aside and walked out of the room to the living room, puppy in arms. Ryo got the door and followed Akira to the car, who just managed to get the door open and seat in the passenger seat while Ryo slung the beach bag into the backseat before sliding into the driver’s seat. As he waited a moment to get the car warmed up, Ryo took out his brown aviators to shield his eyes.

“Ready?”

“Yup! I am when you are.”

“Alright then.”

Ryo shifted the clutch into drive and rolled slowly out of the driveway, turning to the right to go the other way, away from the city. Akira turned the radio on to a music station, soft rock playing through the speakers. He then lowered the window just enough so that Betty could stick her head out the window.

The beach was only about a mile off and it was a flat area with the beach part stretching several miles. The white sand was just as bright as the sun and it was fairly crowded with people, but not so much so that it was congested. Ryo was able to find a parking lot right smack dab in the middle of the lot. Ryo parked while Akira took out the leash from the bag to clip onto Betty’s collar.

“Do they accept pets at the beach, I can’t remember.”

“I think they do, but we have to keep an eye out for them.”

“Well, duh. Do you want me to grab the umbrella from the back?”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, lemme see if I can get it.”

“Alright, well I’ll get Betty so you can grab it.”

They exited the vehicle and Akira put Betty down, handing the leash to Ryo as he walked around to the back to grab the small umbrella from the trunk. Ryo would want some time to be in the shade, so forgetting that was not an option. Grabbing the umbrella, he ran around the car to meet Ryo and Betty at the low rock wall and all three trekked through the sand and towels to find a spot relatively close to the ocean. Ryo took the beach bag apart to set the towels out and set them on the warm sand as Akira assembled the umbrella together. Soon their little spot was set up right by the water and Ryo was chilling in his foldable chair with sunglasses on and without a care, next to a laid-out towel of green and white stripes.

“Wanna join in the water?”

“I wanna relax here for a bit and watch the stuff. You go have fun.”

“Aww alright. Want me to get your sunscreen though?”

“That would be lovely.”

Akira ducked back under the umbrella as Ryo grabbed the bottle of sunscreen from his bag. Putting some in his hand, Akira sat down with his back to Ryo as Ryo took his sweet time getting Akira’s back and shoulders all lathered up. Ryo tried not to blush too hard, but it was just enough to convince Akira that it was only the sun. Ryo quickly took to get the rest of Akira all covered before Akira volunteered to do the same. Now he was blushing like mad at feeling his unusually soft hands on his back, stroking up and down and working the sunscreen into his skin. He tried to distract himself by petting Betty, but Akira caught his shiver.

“You okay baby?”

“Y-Yeah. Sunscreen was colder than I thought it was gonna be. “

They both laughed a bit before reached around and planted a kiss on Ryo’s temple. He felt Akira’s hands continue to lather on the remaining sunscreen. 

After a bit, Ryo watched as Akira ran into the water with the dog, splashing and playing about. Betty jumped in the water, making small waves with glee. It was cute watching his boyfriend and the puppy bonding. Ryo couldn’t believe that it had already been a month since they officially took in Betty and adopted her, it seemed like only yesterday when they found the poor thing in that rainstorm. It was also kinda nice having a dog in the house as well, being able to help Akira properly care for the puppy and share all the knowledge by explaining excitedly all the little tidbits. 

Ryo then took out his camera that he had stashed in the beach bag and managed to snap a few pictures of Akira and Betty in the water. He then noticed Akira looking directly at him and coming up to the shore and to their spot. In a moment, Ryo was face to face with Akira standing right in front of him with Betty tagging along behind him. 

He had that stupid smirk on his face that made Ryo get suspicious.

“What’s wrong, angel?”

“You’re plotting something…”

“What are you talking about?”

“That smirk on your face, that stupid smirk!”

“What smirk?”

Ryo was fuming at this point and it was, quite frankly, adorable, the way that he would cross his brows and puff his cheeks.

“Whatever you’re planning, I want no part of it!” Ryo crossed his arms and huffed, looking the other way.

“You sure about that?” Akira asked, sitting down right next to him. It wasn’t the sun that was making his cheeks red, that’s for sure. Akira poked his finger into Ryo’s side, making Ryo react suddenly.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Akira teased with a smile.

Ryo stared right into Akira’s eyes that he didn’t catch another finger into his stomach, making him curl up.

“Stopppppp!” Ryo whined as Akira grinned widely. Ryo’s blue moon orbs widened before letting out a little yelp and squirmed frantically in his chair from Akira attacking his sides with tickling. Ryo’s laughter erupts within a matter of milliseconds and he laughed so hard he snorted a little, which is so _cute._

After a moment, Akira let up a moment for Ryo to breathe, which he gladly took. 

“I hate you sometimes.”

“Aw don't be like that, you love me too much.”

“I do. Love you baby.”

“Love you, too.” 

Thy shared a soft kiss as Akira scooted closer to him on the towel. Betty came up to the Akira and laid on top of his legs, allowing them to pet her. They remained that way for about twenty minutes so that they both cool off from the heat. The beach itself was still crowded as ever, with children running about as well as even a few pets wandering about with their owners. The ocean was producing small waves from the breeze blowing by, some waves crashing against the children in the water playing about. The scenic view was gorgeous today, like something on a postcard. 

It really was a nice day to go out. 

They stayed another hour or two before it hit high noon when the heat was at the worst. At that point, they decided that it would be best to head back home for the afternoon, so they packed up their beach bag and walked back to the car. Akira put the umbrella back in the trunk as Ryo laid towels down on the two seats to keep the saltwater from ruining them. Soon they were back in the car and driving back down the road to their house. The AC was running full-blast in the car in an effort to keep themselves cool from the August heat. They finally reached the house where, after a cold bath and a good wash, sprawled out on the bed for an afternoon nap. Akira’s body was laid flat on the bed with Ryo curled up on his right side and Betty napping on top of them.


	5. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo comes down with a fever and Akira tries his best to help him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a two-parter, just a heads-up

_One week later_

Akira held the door open for Betty and his boyfriend after a long day at the clinic. The puppy ran inside and hopped on the couch, barking loudly for attention. Akira was his cheerful self, but he noticed something off with Ryo: he seemed a bit more tired than usual and also looked a little weak.

“Baby, you okay?”

“Akira, I’m fine, just a little tired is all.”

Akira wasn’t convinced but he let it slide for now as he walked into the kitchen to prepare supper. Ryo sat down with a heavy plop, slumping over just a tad forward and looking at the floor. He started to feel hot for some reason as sweat started to form. 

“Akira, can you turn the air on? It feels hot in here.”

“Uh, sure.” Akira set down the pan as he walked over to the thermostat on the wall and noticed that the air was on and the temperature reading 70 degrees.

“It's 70 degrees and the air is on.”

“Oh okay.”

“You're even starting to sweat!”

“I was playing with the babies today and they were a bit rowdier than normal. Really Akira, I’m fine!” Ryo tried to explain as Akira walked over to the bed where he was sitting. Before Ryo could protest any further, Akira placed the back of his hand on Ryo's forehead and left it there for a moment. To his surprise, Ryo’s forehead felt hotter than it was supposed to be.

“How are you fine? You're burning up bad, angel.”

Ryo didn't want to admit that he was sick with a fever, but he also didn't want Akira to worry so much. He watched as Akira pulled a cup from the cabinet above him that had a thermometer in it. He brought it back with him and sat down on the bed next to Ryo. 

“Alright, where do you want it?”

“What do you mean 'where do I want it?’ I don't want that! I assure you, I’m fine!”

“Open up.”

“No.”

“Ryo…”

“I'm fine.”

“No, you're not. Open up.”

“Make me.”

“You want it done the other way?”

“Don't you dare…”

“Just open up so you can get this over with.”

“Fineeee.” Ryo reluctantly opened his mouth as Akira carefully placed the thermometer on his tongue. Ryo closed his mouth over the tool and the two of them waited a few minutes for the thermometer to read. The tool then beeped and Akira pulled it out to examine the results. His response was wide eyes and a slight sense of panic.

“What does it say?”

“You’re rockin’ a 38.7. A couple numbers higher and you’d be in the hospital.”

Numbers didn’t lie and there was no way Ryo could get out of lying to his boyfriend now, especially since he went into “caretaker mode” in a matter of minutes by rushing into the kitchen to dampen a cold washcloth. After letting it soak in the sink for a bit, he walked back over to Ryo with the damp washcloth and patted his forehead, face, and neck. The cool dampness was welcoming to Ryo, who found comfort in the washcloth.

“You wanna lie down a bit or do you wanna take a bath?” 

“I think a bath would be nice.”

“Okay,” Akira affirmed as he helped Ryo up to support him, arms around his waist and stomach, “Don’t worry baby, I got you.”

Akira gently soothed him as they slowly walked into the bathroom. Akira then sat Ryo down on a nearby stool to help him out of his uniform, feeling the heat radiating off his skin from the fever as he helps striped Ryo down to his boxers. From the weakness to the sweating as well as other possible symptoms he may be experiencing, Ryo looked absolutely miserable and it was hurting Akira’s heart. 

“Hey, you okay?” Akira softly asked Ryo, his voice having a twinge of worry as he gently stroked Ryo’s warm cheek.

“My whole body feels like I’ve laid in traffic for a few hours and I feel so hot it’s uncomfortable. At least it’s a bit more bearable with you taking care of me.” 

“I’m glad I can help as much as I can.” Akira gently held Ryo’s face and kissed his forehead. Ryo may be sick and possibly contagious, but that wasn’t going to stop Akira from lavishing some love on his ill boyfriend. Akira turned his attention by turning the bath on and making sure that it was at a safe tepid temperature for Ryo. Meanwhile, Betty wandered into the bathroom and sat down next to Ryo, who reached down to pet her.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m just not feeling too well at the moment.” Ryo tried to reassure Betty, who whimpered and wanted to get on his lap.

“I think Betty’s worried,” Akira observed.

“Yeah, but it’ll be okay.”

“Yeah.”

Betty licked his free hand as Ryo wiped his other across his forehead. Akira soon got the bathwater going and ready, so he helped Ryo step over the tub wall and eased him into the tepid water to make sure that he didn’t slip. Once Ryo appeared to be situated in the tub, Akira stripped off his uniform and eased himself into the tub with him. 

Ryo didn’t have to lift a finger and Akira made sure of that, wanting Ryo to heal as quickly as possible and because this was a golden opportunity to lay some love on Ryo after a long day at work. Ryo got to relax as Akira washed his hair and his body and even left some kisses on his neck and shoulder, feeling his soft, strong hands stroke his skin and comfort him. It was always a good night when Akira did that and tonight was no exception, with Akira, of course, is more than happy to provide some loving, something Ryo greatly appreciated. Betty hung out on the edge of the tub occasionally barking and receiving pets from Ryo when he was close enough. She even brought one of her toys, a stuffed turtle, into the bathroom to give to Ryo, who accepted it with a smile as he knew Betty just wanted to make him feel better. The bathroom was relatively quiet and calming, with only the occasional splash if either of them moved, and they spent the remaining moments snuggling up to each other with Ryo laying up against Akira.

After some time, they both got out, Akira getting out first so that he could help Ryo step out. It took a bit before Akira managed to get Ryo to sit down again on the stool as the fever weakened his movements and made him incredibly tired. Sitting down on the stool, Ryo felt Akira gently wiping him down with the towel, particularly cautious around the face. He then felt a warm towel wrap around him and a soft kiss on his forehead.

“You okay, angel?” Akira asked.

Ryo nodded slowly and smiled a little.

“I know it sucks, but it won’t last forever and you’ll be back on your feet in no time,” Akira assured him, kissing his cheek and making him giggle a little, despite the aching in his body. 

“I love all of this care and stuff, but please be careful. I don’t want you to get my sickness.”

“I’ll be okay, and besides, even if I do get sick, you can take care of me!” Akira beamed, hoping his optimism would make him feel better, which it did. 

Despite his sick state, Ryo felt blessed that Akira was trying his hardest to take care of him. After Ryo stated his wish of wanting to get back to the bedroom to lie down, Akira helped him up and supported him as they both walked to the room. Betty runs up from behind them and jumped on the bed to bark at them. Ryo gave her a pet as Akira started to dig around the top dresser drawer.

“Do you want to wear the silk bathrobe you got? I can get it for you.”

“Please, can you?”

Akira pulled out the ice-blue, silky bathrobe from the dresser and went to Ryo to remove the towel and help him slip on the bathrobe. It was one of the clothes that Ryo bought at the mall for his birthday.

_Flashback~_

__

_“Ooooh, what about this one, Akira?” Ryo excitedly walked up to the clothing rack after seeing the silky bathrobe catch his eye. Akira wandered over, smiling at his boyfriend being adorable on his birthday._

__

_“What did ya find this time?”_

__

_“This! It’s so soft and pretty. Look at the flowers on it!” Ryo pulled up one of the sleeves to show Akira the intricate flower designs on the sleeve, all colored an ocean blue._

__

_“You wanna get it?”_

__

_Yeah! Let me just find my size first…” Ryo replied as he dug through the stack to find the robe in his size. The robe was really pretty, and Akira couldn’t wait to see Ryo try it on._

__

_End of Flashback~_

Ryo was lying in bed and having one of the thinner blankets up to his waist; he didn’t feel as hot but his body was unusually sorer than ever to the point that it was actually starting to hurt. He started to toss and turn in bed, trying to find a good sleeping position. Akira was in the kitchen getting the medicine in order so that Ryo could take some. He also got a cup of cool water for him as well, and brought the medicine to the bedroom and set it on the nightstand next to Ryo.

“Alright baby, you gotta take your medicine.”

“Ryo eyed the ibuprofen on the plate that Akira brought.

“I don’t wanna move.”

“Ryo you have to, this is the only way you’re gonna get better.”

“Nooooo…”

“Ryo…”

“I’m not moving.”

“Ryooo…”

“F*ck off! It hurts to move so I’m not gonna!” Ryo snapped as he turned his back to Akira by laying on his side.

Ryo was never like this with medicine, Akira thought; the fever must be going to his head. Betty, who was sitting on the bed, crawled on her stomach to Ryo and lazily licked his face as well as whine and put her snout on Ryo’s cheek. Ryo slowly turned his up to Betty, who then licked his face some more before feeling Ryo’s weak hand gently stroke her back. Seeing that Ryo may have calmed down some, he knelt to the floor and laid his chin on his arms on the edge of the bed near Ryo. Ryo felt the bed shift behind him and turned his head, then his body to Akira with glassy eyes and a tired expression. He was greeted with a worried expression and warm, chocolate eyes.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you baby, I didn't mean to get pissy like that…”

“Hey, it’s okay. You were hurting and you couldn’t help it.”

“I still feel bad.”

“Don’t be. The fever just got to your head, is all.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Akira reached a hand to Ryo’s forehead to measure the temperature and felt no change.

“How are ya feeling?”

“My body still hurts really bad.”

“You want the medicine?”

“Please…”

Akira softly smiled as he took the plate with the glass of water and asked Ryo to sit up in bed. It took him a moment before Ryo sat up against the small bed frame for support. Akira handed him the pills and the glass of water and watched as Ryo took his medicine slowly. Ryo nursed the water as Akira went back into the kitchen to get a cold compress. Akira then wrapped it in a small towel and brought it back to Ryo, who was lying back down in bed. Akira carefully placed the compress on Ryo’s forehead, whose expression softened after getting greeted with the coolness.

Seeing Ryo weakened state hurt Akira’s heart a lot; Ryo didn’t ask to be sick and yet here he was, sweating and aching in the bed. The sheets would probably have to be changed soon from the sweat, but they’ll cross that bridge when they get to it. The house was several degrees cooler than normal to help with it and every thirty minutes or so, Akira would take the compress and rewet it to keep it cold. 

This alone kept up for several hours into the night, with at one point Akira having to change the sheets because the first set was drenched. It wasn’t until a little after midnight when Ryo had to convince Akira to go lie down on the couch so that he wouldn’t get sick. 

“I don’t want you getting any worse.”

“-and I don’t want you to get sick because of me! Please? Just for tonight? I’ll have Betty with me so that if I need anything, she can bark.”

“You sure?”

“Yes babe, now please get some sleep. You’ve been worrying yourself sick since we got home.”

“Alright, alright. Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“I will, now get some sleep. It’s late.”

Akira gave him a kiss before checking to make sure that Ryo was comfortable before taking another blanket and walking to the couch behind the dresser. He stretches out over the entire couch and tossed up the blanket to watch it float down and cover him. Before he knew it, he was already falling asleep due to exhaustion of making sure that Ryo was okay. He relaxed and went right to sleep, snoring quietly. Meanwhile, Ryo was still somewhat awake as he continued to pet Betty and whisper to her.

“I never thought he’d go to sleep. He was so worried about making sure I was okay that the poor thing was stressing himself out. It’s good that we’re already off tomorrow anyway so he won’t have to call into work to call out for the two of us,” Ryo whispered to Betty, playing with her a little as she yawned and put her head on his chest. Ryo yawned as well as he felt the lull of sleep coming on, so he made himself comfortable and drank some water before falling asleep with Betty by his side.

_Later~_

Akira woke up to the sound of barking.

Akira snapped out of bed and turned around to the bed to respond to the barking and see what was wrong. What he witnessed was Ryo thrashing wildly and weakly yelling, some tears even rolling down his face. Akira rushed over in a panic and got on the bed in an attempt to wake him up. At first, Ryo swatted his hands away, all the while screaming bloody murder and Akira struggled frantically to wake him up.

“RYO! Ryo, wake up!” Akira shook him in an attempt to wake him up.

“Stop it!”

“Ryo!”

“GET AWAY!”

“RYO WAKE UP!”

The final shout seemed to figuratively slap Ryo back to his senses as he stared wide-eyed at the ceiling and was panting heavily like he just ran a race. He clearly looked like a scared animal and his sweat seemed to multiply not only from the sweat but from the fear.

“Ryo, talk to me! Are you okay?”

Ryo was a little dazed, so Akira gave him a minute to answer.

“A-Akira?”

“You were having a nightmare of sorts. You were thrashing about and Betty’s barking woke me up.”

Ryo sat there a moment before looking like he was ready to cry, but not before Akira took him into his arms. He didn’t cry outright but let a few tears fall as Akira stroked his back and laid his head on his.

“It’s okay, I’m right here…”

Akira tried his best to soothe him, which surprisingly wasn’t that hard as Ryo calmed down quickly upon realizing that he had just experienced wasn’t real. Not to mention, he felt too weak to cry properly so he sniffled some and weakly hugged back. They both stayed this way for a few more minutes before Akira broke away to go rewet the compress. When he returned, he laid the compress on Ryo’s head once again and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I don’t care that I may get sick from this, but I’m going to sleep with you tonight so that I can be right there.”

At this point, Ryo was too sick and weak to protest as he felt Akira curl up next to him, feeling a hand on his chest and put his own hand on top of Akira’s. Betty crawled on top of them both and laid across the both of them on Ryo’s stomach and Akira’s hip before falling asleep.

“She’s so cute.”

“She is, just like you angel.” Akira gave a light kiss on Ryo’s cheek as he snuggled up to Ryo and fell asleep not a moment after. Ryo took a breath and got comfortable as he too dozed off to sleep. 

They would have to find out in the morning if the fever broke.


	6. House Cleaning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing wrong with a little house-cleaning, especially with a puppy involved!

Last night was rough for Akira, who got no sleep whatsoever.

He was up almost the entire night making sure that Ryo wouldn’t overheat from the fever by repeatedly replacing the cold compress and even waking him up to take another tepid bath while he washed the sheets drenched in sweat. Betty followed him around like a lost child, unable to really help Akira out other than barking to keep Akira awake. It was almost 4:30 in the morning before things finally got settled and Akira sat up against the headboard, exhausted as he yawned loudly and blinking his tired eyes. Betty crawled up to him on his lap, which prompted Akira to pet her. 

“Don’t worry Betty, I’m okay. Just a little tired is all.” Akira tried to assure Betty who carried a sad expression.

Betty whimpered as Akira gave her a tired scratch from behind her ears. He looked down at Ryo, who was sleeping rather well given his fever. He didn’t take his eyes off of him for a few moments, watching his chest move up and down with his soft breathing. Akira sat there a moment contemplating whether he should let Ryo have the bed to himself and sleep on the couch, or stay next to him for the next few hours and try to get some sleep. He then made up his mind as he lowered himself under the covers next to Ryo and pull a blanket over him. He felt the puppy crawl in between the two of them, with Akira gently pulling the puppy toward him. 

As much as he really didn’t want to get sick, his boyfriend was more important, and he didn’t want something to happen and not be near him. If it meant that Ryo would get some sleep without worrying about where Akira was at the expense of himself getting sick, then so be it.

Akira had just enough energy to reach over and lay a soft kiss on Ryo’s cheek and pass out from exhaustion.

_Next Morning_

Akira woke up to the sound of the house phone ringing.

He groaned as he woke up slowly, feeling a little lethargic, as he walked around the bed to get the ringing phone off the hook and answer it. Betty stayed on the bed by Ryo’s side in case he woke up. 

“H-Hello?”

“ _Akira? Is that you dear?_ ”

It was only Mrs. Yuko, who sounded concerned.

“Yes ma’am,” Akira simply replied, trying not to slur his words together as he yawned, “Is something wrong? Do I need to come in?”

“ _No, not at all! I just wanted to call and make sure the two of you were okay. Ryo seemed a little out of it yesterday, is he feeling alright?_ ”

“Well, we found out that he was rocking a 38.7 fever. He’s sleeping harder than a rock right now.”

“ _Oh, bless his heart; fevers are no fun. You okay dear? You sound tired._ ”

“Yeah, I was trying to take care of him last night and almost didn’t get any sleep.”

“ _God help you both! Well, I won’t keep you up any longer; I just wanted to make sure that you two were okay. If you need to call out tomorrow, let me know, okay?_ ”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“ _Good. Tell Ryo I said hi and that I hope he feels better._ ”

“I will.”

“ _You get some rest as well, young man._ ”

“Yes, ma’am.” Akira let out a soft laugh.

“ _Alright, I gotta get hoppin’. Have a good day!_ ”

“You, too. Bye.”

“ _Bye, dear!_ ” At this, she hung up and Akira put the phone back on the receiver. She truly was a second mother to them, but they couldn’t complain in the slightest. Betty slapped her tail on the bed as Akira stumbled slowly back into bed and lazily brought a blanket over him. Betty gently licked his nose, making Akira giggle slightly as he wrapped an arm around Betty. He looked up at the alarm clock on the nightstand to see that it read 8:07 am. It couldn’t hurt to sleep in a little bit and regain an hour or so. Akira reaches over again to check Ryo’s forehead to see if the fever broke.

To his surprise, Ryo’s forehead didn’t feel as hot as before and Akira also noticed that Ryo looked more peaceful sleeping. The sweat that was pouring down wasn’t as bad before.

The fever had finally broken.

Akira breathed a sigh of relief; he had spent all of last night and this morning worrying about his boyfriend’s health. To see him calmly sleeping and getting some well-needed rest relieved any stress that Akira felt previously. Noting the improvement, he reaches over to kiss Ryo’s forehead, watching as Ryo lazily blinked his eyes open, his blue moon eyes not as glassy or tired as before.

“Hey angel, you okay?” Akira asked softly as he stroked Ryo’s cheek affectionately.

Ryo gave a quiet hum of affirmation before shifting slightly to get into a more comfortable position.

“You looked exhausted, baby. I’m sorry for any trouble.” Ryo quietly told him

“Don’t worry about it. You were having a fever and that’s no fun.”

Ryo gave another quiet hum in reply. Betty crawled up and proceeded to lick Ryo’s face, making him giggle at the puppy’s attention. He felt the puppy’s tail wag against him as he scratched Betty’s back.

“H-Hey now! That tickles!” Ryo commented, his giggling making Akira smile at seeing his boyfriend getting some love from Betty. 

“You wanna try and eat something?”

“Please. I’m hungry.”

“Okay babe, just stay here and I’ll go make something. What do you want right now?”

“I think I just want toast for the time being. Don’t want anything too fancy.”

“Alright, I can do that. Want some coffee too?”

“Yes please!”

“Okay, coming right up!” Akira said happily as he got out of bed, kissed Ryo, and went into the kitchen to make him breakfast. He plugged in the toaster and got the bread out, putting two slices in the toaster. He then took out the coffee mix and started to make coffee like he usually did. As the two foods were cooking, Akira took a broom out and started to sweep the floor, putting Ryo back to bed when he tried to help. Sweeping dog hair, dust, and other particles into the dustbin and then into the trash, Akira washed his hands when he found that the coffee was done as well as the toast. He pours coffee into Ryo’s favorite mug, the white one with little dogs and cats painted on it, and puts some butter on the toast. Ryo perks up as Akira brings him his breakfast to him.

“You okay there?”

“I’m fine, just a little drowsy is all.”

“Here you go.” Akira smiled as he handed Ryo the plate and his mug of coffee. Ryo slowly took a sip, finding the hot drink comforting. Akira got on his knees and folded his arms on the bed looking up at Ryo as he ate his breakfast. The smells were enough to stir Betty, who began to sniff the bread, making Ryo hold the plate up a little so that Betty couldn’t get to it.

“No baby, you can’t have this. This is mine.” Ryo spoke in that soft baby-talk as Betty whined, wanting a piece of the toast.

“Can dogs eat bread?”

“Yeah, just so long as it’s only once in a blue moon and the dog gets plenty of exercise.”

“Gotcha.” Akira was learning more about how to properly care for the dog as the weeks have gone by.

Ryo took another swig of coffee and another bite of toast.

“So you feel okay? Not sick or anything?”

“Nope, I don’t feel anything wrong.”

“That’s good at least.”

“Yes. So what are the plans for today?”

“I was thinking of a little house cleaning, nothing too major.”

“I don’t see why not. I can try to help out with a few things.”

“You sure?” Akira asked. Ryo nodded with a smile.

“It’s only fair, especially when you took care of me.”

“Alright. You can stay in your nightwear if ya want, I don’t plan on going out today.”

“Me neither. Lemme go ahead and finish breakfast. Have you eaten anything?”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Here, have some toast.” Ryo persuaded him to eat something by offering the other slice of toast. After a few moments of gentle prodding, Akira took the toast from Ryo and ate it in a few big bites. Ryo offered small pieces to Betty, who enthusiastically munched on the little bites of toast.

After breakfast, they went into the bathroom to at least brush their teeth and comb their hair, wanting to at least clean up a bit.

“So what to do first?”

“I was just thinking of sweeping and vacuuming the floors, fixing up the front porch and just straighten up. You got anything?” Ryo suggested.

“We need to get the dishes”

“Oh that’s right we do. We can get that done first.”

“Okay.”

Feeling clean and awake enough, they walked into the kitchen, with Ryo grabbing the dishcloths, soap and a chair to sit down, and they both were in front of the sink with Akira washing the plates, bowls, and other things, and Ryo drying them off. The radio was on the table, broadcasting the news for the morning about current events and other topics. Betty would hop about and try to eat the bubbles that fell to the floor. She made a face when she actually ate one with Ryo laughing quietly.

“It didn’t taste very good, didn’t it? It tastes like soap!” Ryo told her as he was drying a bowl off. Akira watched them both with a smile as Ryo took a soapy dish and tried to blow bubbles off of it, actually succeeding a little by creating small ones. Betty happily jumped about trying to pop them all that she could. This kept up for several minutes until all of the dishes and silverware were cleaned and put away.

“So what next?” Akira asked, ready to tackle another task.

“If you want, I can get the front porch if you can get the vacuuming.”

“Alright, I can do that,” Akira replied cheerfully as he went to kiss Ryo’s cheek and went into the hall to grab the vacuum.

Ryo couldn’t help but feel giddy and lively. It was always a good day when kisses like that were involved.

Grabbing the broom, he and Betty went out the front door to the porch. The plants had vines and flowers all wrapped around the corners, and up the walls and columns. It wasn’t an ugly sight, rather it had a nice aesthetic, especially with some of the flowers still in bloom. Ryo got to work sweeping the dust off of the front porch, the faint, brown dust swirling up and out. There was a breeze that helped a little but Ryo still had to do most of the work. Betty wandered over to the group of plants at the corner; it was the same corner that she was found in all those months ago. 

“You find your spot, Betty?” Ryo asked, curiously.

Betty continued to dig around the pots of plants, taking the smells of nature.

It was hard to believe that just a few months ago, he and Akira found this poor little baby in the middle of that horrible rainstorm, all covered in mud. Now officially their own, Betty is the happiest puppy there is, it seems like and it made Ryo’s heart feel soft. He really didn’t know what he expected for his birthday that night, but they certainly weren’t expecting an actual puppy.

_Flashback_

_“What do you want for your birthday?” Akira asked Ryo as they were both snuggling on the couch and watching the television._

_“I don’t know Akira. There’s lots of things."_

_“Could you give me a few ideas?”_

_“Well,” he thought it over hard, trying to find the answers, “I wouldn’t mind a new coat, or a robe, or kisses, or some-hey!” Ryo giggled as he felt Akira’s lips kissing up his neck._

_“I can give you kisses all the time!”_

_“I know, but I love them a lot, and I want a whole lot of them!”_

_“That can be arranged.” Akira grinned as he shared a kiss with a Ryo before continuing to snuggle with him._

_“... There’s also something else, too.”_

_“Oh? What is it?”_

_“If we could, I would like to get a dog.”_

_“A dog? What kind?”_

_“I don’t know, but I would like a dog.”_

_“I don’t mind getting one, we just gotta find one first.”_

_“Yes.”_

_End of flashback_

If only he knew that he would actually be gifted with a puppy…

Ryo continued to sweep the rest of the porch and, seeing that it was clean enough, proceeded to move some of the pots around to make sure that the plants were getting enough sunshine. He also checked for the water levels and found that several could use some water. He then heard a pot move behind him and he turned to find Betty pushing a clay pot with her head to move it.

“What are you doing, silly girl? Are you trying to help me move the plants around?” Ryo walked over and knelt down to Betty, helping her push the pot next to the wall. He took the other pots in that group and pushed them closer together by the wall so that they could get some sun. Soon, the plants that needed the sunshine were in the sun, soaking some light. Ryo took a seat on the top step and Betty wobbled over to him, laying up against him and getting some petting and attention in return.

Ryo was deep in thought as he looked out into the street, the road being empty with cracks in the asphalt. Ryo stared at the cracks in the asphalt as old memories came swirling back to him, old memories of the life he had before the demons before everything went to hell in a handbasket. He saw John, the happy dog running up to him and licking him all over.

John was hopping around, excited to see his owner.

John was running around in the backyard, barking at the woods around his dad’s mansion.

The vision faded to black and then back to color as he suddenly saw John-

He didn’t dare finish that last sentence.

_He didn’t want to remember that at all._

He snapped out of it as he felt Betty on his lap, rubbing her head on his thigh. Ryo stared at her a moment before smiling softly and scratching her under the ears. 

“Don’t worry about me, baby. I was just thinking about some things is all.”

The puppy didn’t react, only instead decided to rest on his lap, almost falling asleep from his hands petting her.

It was nice having another dog to take care, especially when the dog was his.

The mood was interrupted by the front door opening to reveal Akira, who had the house phone in his hand. 

“Hey, this is for you.”

“It’s not a scam is it?”

“Nope! It’s her.”

Ryo immediately grabbed the phone from Akira, knowing exactly who it was.

“ _Ryo, darling, is that you?_ ”

Ryo felt his heart lift at the sound of a familiar, kind voice and smiled. 

“Hello, Jenny.”


	7. A Familiar Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend is in town and they can't wait to meet her after so long...

“ _So how are things with you darling? Akira told me you just got out of a fever._ ”

“I was! Last night was awful, and I felt so bad for Akira. I know I probably wasn’t the most pleasant during that, but him being patient helped.”

“ _I’m sure he did his best._ ”

“Don’t worry, he did.”

“ _So what are you both up to now?_ ”

“Just a little house cleaning, figured we could straighten up the house a little.”

“ _Housecleaning is good once in a while._ ”

Talking to Jenny always lifted his spirits, regardless of what he was feeling at that moment. She was a nanny of his ever since he was little after his mother died, but she quickly became a mother figure to him, something he greatly appreciated after all of these years.

“By the way, Jenny guess what?” Ryo asked her, excitement starting to bubble up in his voice.

“ _What is it?_ ”

“WE GOT A PUPPY!” Ryo practically yelled into the phone, unable to control his excitement. Betty barked on his lap at the mention of her. Jenny laughed quietly as she calmly listened to Ryo retelling how they found Betty, sounded so excited like a little kid that discovered something new. He may be twenty years old, but he really hasn’t changed in the slightest. 

“... and she’s thirteen weeks now! She’s getting big but still a baby.” Ryo ended with a kiss on Betty’s head.

“ _That’s wonderful, dear! I’m sure she’s a sweetheart._ ”

“She is!” Ryo replied, giving Betty a good scratch under her neck. Akira walked from the doorway and sat down next to him, putting his arm around Ryo’s waist.

“ _I’d love to meet her soon! I’ve wanted to visit you two for a while. You wouldn’t mind if I dropped by this weekend, would you?_ ”

The idea that Jenny would be stopping the apartment to visit them sounded like a great idea, especially since that would be the first time that she’s seen Ryo since they moved out of the Makimuras. 

It would be nice to see her again.

“Ryo? What’s she asking?”

“She’s asking if it would be alright if she came to visit this weekend. You remember Jenny don’t you?”

Akira showed a blank stare as his mind tried to dig into his memories to remember who it was. Ryo was about to speak up before Akira blinked and piped up as he remembered something.

“Oh! Wasn’t she your nanny that had the red hair and pretty eyes?”

“Yes, that’s her. She’s asking if she could come over this weekend.”

“I’m alright with it if you are,” Akira told him as Ryo turned his attention back to the phone.

“Sure! We’d love to have you!” Ryo excited replied.

“ _I’m glad. I’ll be coming by at nine tomorrow if that’s alright._ ”

“We’ll be ready for you then!”

“ _Very well. I’ll go pack my things, so I’ll see you in the morning. Bye bye, dearest!_ ”

“See you tomorrow, Jenny,” Ryo told her with a smile.

They both hung up and Ryo felt nothing but happiness, smiling like an idiot but he didn’t care. It really felt nice talking to Jenny and being able to hear her voice for the first time in a long time. It felt comforting.

Ryo felt a kiss on his head and look at Akira, who had a cute grin on his face.

“You’re adorable, y’know that?”

“Oh stop…” Ryo couldn’t help but felt his cheeks get warm out of embarrassment.

“You are! You’re so cute when you’re excited.” Akira reached over and wrapped his arms around Ryo’s waist and placed his head on Ryo’s shoulder, swaying the both of them back and forth. Betty curled up on their laps and yawned as Ryo scratched her back. They both stayed like that for the rest of the morning, with Ryo feeling Akira’s kisses on his neck and cheek.

After lunch, the house began the process of getting straightened up. Since most of the cleaning was done this morning, all they really had to do was do some basic straightening up by the getting the laundry done and the house aired out. Akira volunteered to go grocery shopping by grabbing the keys and dashing out the door before Ryo could react, not wanting Ryo to get pulled over somewhere because of his “special” driving skills. The house was quiet again as Ryo was left alone with Betty, who started barking at the window after seeing a bird on the windowsill. Ryo smiled at the excited pup and took the small radio off of the counter, turning it on to a recognizable station. 

It was really was nice having a dog in the house with him again; it felt like old times when he was with John. 

“Geez Betty, you’re up and at ‘em, aren’t you?” Ryo chimed as he sat down on the bed where Betty was, setting the radio down on the nightstand, “The bird’s already gone now.”

Betty stopped after a moment and flopped down on the bed, laying her head on Ryo’s lap. Ryo laid a hand on her neck and petted her gently. The music that played was calming and brought a sense of serenity to the mood of the home. Ryo remained like that until Akira got home until about an hour later with groceries.

“Is Jenny allergic to anything? I meant to ask before I left.”

“I don’t think she is, but it can’t hurt to ask,” Ryo replied as he took some of the bags that Akira was carrying and helped him carry the bags to the counter in the kitchen. They both then proceeded to put the food away into their proper places in the cabinets and fridge. 

It was early in the evening when the house was finally cleaned, stocked and ready for guests as Ryo and Akira slumped down on the couch, tired after everything. Betty jumped on to the couch onto their laps, slumping down on them. No one said a word for a few minutes until Akira piped up.

“So how long has it been since you've seen Jenny?”

“Haven't seen her since Dad died, though we did call each other now and again just catch up and see how the other was doing.”

“That's good at least.”

“Yeah… it would be nice to see her again.”

“Yeah.”

They both ended up going to bed early that night.

Next morning

The alarm clock on the nightstand read 7:23 am as the small family of three were snug in bed, covered in blankets and cuddled up to each other in a soft and warm cuddle pile. The sun was just rising outside as the morning came to greet them like it usually did. After a moment, Akira’s stirred and lazily opened his eyes as he lied there in bed, feeling his body stirring to wake up. He yawned wide and looked to his right to Ryo to find his head resting right on his shoulder. He smiled and laid a soft kiss in his hair. He turned to his left to look at the clock on the nightstand to read the time, all the while stroking Ryo’s side where his hand rested. Ryo shivered a bit and sighed before his sapphire eyes revealed themselves.

“Morning, baby,” Akira whispered to him as he kissed into his hair again.

Ryo didn’t say anything but looked up at him with those beautiful eyes of his…

“... What’s the matter, dear?” Ryo whispered back as he noticed Akira staring back at him with a soft smile.

“Nothing, just admiring your jewels of eyes,” Akira told him, watching Ryo blush a little and tried to hide his face in Akira’s shoulder and made a cute noise of embarrassment in the process, making Akira laugh a little. They remain like that for a moment.

He’s so adorably precious.

“When do you wanna get up? Jenny’s supposed to be here at nine.”

“I know, but I wanna stay like this a little longer. Let’s wait until eight.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Akira said as he checked the time again and tried to alter the alarm on the clock to move it to eight. It took a few minutes, but Akira was able to get it altered and so turned his attention back to Ryo.

“Thank you.”

“Absolutely.”

They slept a little longer like that, with Akira still lovingly stroking Ryo where his hand rested and occasionally kissed him, sometimes in his hair and sometimes on his forehead. He could feel Ryo smile and felt his hand on top of his on Akira’s chest, it was small and warm, and comforting. He felt Ryo’s fingers weaving together with his, looking at the contrast between his calloused, big hand with his delicate, small hand and watching it fit so perfectly together. He could Ryo softly breathing on his skin in quiet little sighs and he felt his heart beating a little faster. Truly, he had been blessed with an angel of some sort for a boyfriend and he was the lucky one to be “The One”. 

Akira studied every single one of Ryo’s little features carefully, wanting to vividly remember every single one: his skin, his hands, his face, his body, his everything.

He wanted to remember everything.

The serene mood was severely interrupted with the alarm clock blaring its morning cry of alarm, causing everyone to snap awake in a harsh manner. Ryo jumped in his position at the sudden noise, blinking his eyes open in annoyance. Betty, who had been resting against Ryo’s legs, got up and barked at the alarm. Akira immediately sat up and went to turn off the noise, finally managing to turn off the alarm after a few button presses. No longer hearing the blasted noise from the machine, he sat there a minute to take a breath before turning his attention back to Ryo, who was definitely more awake at this point and not very happy with it.

“I say it’s a good time to get up.” Akira nervously tried to laugh off.

Ryo didn’t say a word but stumbled out of bed and walked down the hall into the bathroom. Akira got up to make breakfast and Ryo’s coffee as usual. He had to make it a little faster than normal as they still had to get ready for Jenny coming over at nine. Ryo came into the kitchen a few minutes later and sat at the table with his head resting on his hand, waiting for his coffee. Akira didn’t want to say anything until Ryo got his coffee, so the second it was done, he poured Ryo’s cup and placed it in front of him. Ryo carefully took the cup immediately and drank a big swing of it without bothering to wait for it to cool off. 

“R-Ryo! That coffee was burning hot, are you okay!?” Akira asked worriedly.

Ryo stuck out an index finger telling Akira to wait a moment before speaking. Ryo didn’t make any reaction to the scalding coffee he just gulped down, not seeming to care about it at all. There was a change, though, as his mood improved and he looked calmer and not like a grouchy cat. 

“Better?”

“Much better, yes.”

Akira put the breakfast on the table and they continued to eat it normally with some urgency as they still had to get dressed and cleaned up for Jenny’s arrival. After breakfast, they grabbed the best clothes they had and proceeded to change into them with Betty getting excited at this change of pace. They both dashed into the bathroom to get ready by combing hair, brushing teeth and Ryo working on his appearance with a little makeup he had. Looking at least seemingly presentable, they heard the doorbell ring and loud barking as Betty did what dogs knew best and ran to the front door to greet the new guest. They both followed Betty to the door, with Akira picking up the puppy and Ryo undoing the locks as he opened the front door.

They were greeted with the sight of a woman with a white, conservative dress with slightly puffed sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat to match, her bright red hair done in a perm as the curls cascaded off of her shoulders. She was carrying a small white clutch handbag in her hands and her shade of lipstick matched the color of her hair, a reddish burgundy color. 

“Hello, darlings.” She crooned with a smooth voice as she revealed her face from under her hat to reveal an old friend and mother figure, her eyes looking hypnotizing and her cherry ice cream smile radiant as the sun.

Akira heard Ryo gasp quietly in pleasant surprise. He didn’t hesitate a moment to hug her tightly, feeling her arms wrap across his back in a loving manner. 

“How are you, Ryo? It’s been so long since I’ve seen that sweet face of yours!” She remarked kindly, taking Ryo’s face in her hands and watching his eyes get a little misty.

“I’ve been doing well, Jenny. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“It sure has,” Jenny remarked as she turned her attention to Akira behind him, “Hello Akira! I hope you’re doing well.”

“I am.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. So is this the little puppy you were getting excited about, Ryo?”

“Yup! This is Betty.”

When Jenny got close enough, Betty tried to wiggle out of Akira’s arms to get to Jenny out of excitement.

“Oh my! You’re an excited one, aren’t you?”

“Betty loves seeing new people. She couldn’t wait to see you.” Ryo remarked as Jenny gently patted the puppy on the head.

“I’m sure she’s a delight to have around.”

“She is, she is. Come on in, you’re probably exhausted after the travel.”

“I am a little, but I’ll be fine,” Jenny assured them as Ryo led her inside and she got to observe the interior of the house.

“You both have a lovely apartment.”

“Thank you.” They both replied as Jenny sat down on the table. Akira set the puppy down on the ground, but he couldn’t react fast enough to catch Betty running toward Jenny as fast as her little legs could carry her. She didn’t jump up, but she instead sniffed around Jenny and sniffed her feet. Ryo and Akira joined her at the table with Akira asking if she wanted anything and Jenny declining. 

“So how old is she now?”

“She’s thirteen weeks now.”

“She’s getting to be so big.”

“She’ll be much bigger in a few months, but we’ll be ready for it. Akira’s been carrying her around like a baby.”

“Oh, how cute!”

“Isn’t it?”

Akira watched as Ryo was more at ease and becoming more excited by the minute. It was adorable seeing him happy and seeing him talking to Jenny after such a long time was cute to watch. 

“So what have you been up to after all of these years?”

“Well, I have just recently been promoted to secretary of the CEO of the Yoshida Advertising company.”

“Oh, that’s cool! How is it?” Akira wondered.

“The job serves me well, though it does get a little hairy now and again.”

“I can imagine, especially with Advertising being such a big business,” Ryo mentioned.

“Indeed. I’ve been over there a few years, and I quite like where I’m at. What about you two?”

“Well, Akira and I work at an animal clinic on the other side of town toward the harbor.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! You two must have the time your lives.”

“Oh we do, especially when I get to watch Ryo have a bunch of kittens and puppies crawl all over him and he’s having a field day like a little kid. It’s adorable.”

“O-Oh stop!” Ryo chimed in, a slight blush gracing his cheeks and making Akira laugh sweetly at the tease.

Jenny smiled; these boys really haven’t changed a whole lot.


	8. Walk in the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo is starting to think about the pets he's had and he goes to talk to Jenny about a few things on his mind...

It was about 8:30 in the evening when Akira and Ryo busted through the front door, both in high spirits. They had just gotten back from dinner with Jenny (wanting the meal to be their treat for her coming) and they were giddy and giggly with each other as they both collapsed on the couch, snuggled up against each other. 

“That was so much fun,” Ryo breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed, curled up next to Akira with his head on his shoulder.

“That was fun, and you were adorable as always. You’re so cute when you’re excited,” Akira told him softly as he lazily laid a kiss on his head. 

“Am not.”

“Are, too.”

Ryo made an embarrassed noise as he dug his face into the crook between Akira’s shoulder and neck, hearing a little laugh and feeling an arm wrap around his waist. He responded by wrapping his arms around Akira’s waist. Betty laid at their feet, tired from all of the excitement previously. Akira shifted slightly as he reached down to pick her up and place her on their laps. She was in a state of bliss as they both gently rubbed and pet her.

“It’s good to know that Jenny likes Betty.”

“Of course she does, she liked John when I still had him. In fact, she didn’t seem to mind any of the pet animals I had. Her personal favorite was the canary I had Goldie.”

“That yellow bird that was really affectionate?”

“Yeah. Jenny loved that bird,” Ryo smiled a little at the memory.

_Flashback_

_“Who’s this, Ryo?” Jenny inquired as she observed the birdcage to look at the tiny, yellow canary perched on the little wooden swing she had._

_“Oh, that’s Goldie! I’ve only had her a little while, but she’s very lovey-dovey.”_

_“Is that so? You wouldn’t mind if we took her out, would you?”_

_“O-Oh, not at all! I think it would do her some good to fly around.”_

_Jenny carefully opened the cage door and stood back to watch the bird fly out and around the room briefly before landing on Ryo’s shoulder._

_“Hello, Goldie!” Ryo greeted cheerfully as the bird side-walked over a little to nuzzle his cheek, making him giggle._

_Jenny smiled at the sight and, after being offered a pencil from Ryo, she watched as the canary flew onto the pencil and perched there, content enough that Jenny was able to pet her._

_End of Flashback_

“As fun as that was, I’m exhausted. Are you?”

“Yeah, I’m tired. Let’s go ahead and get ready for bed.”

“Alright.”

They both got up from the couch, albeit tiredly, as they both stumbled into the bathroom to at least brush their teeth. Betty moved from the couch and jumped on the bed, snuggling in as she waits patiently for her owners. In the bathroom, they both brush their teeth and Ryo washes off any remaining makeup off of his face only to put some nightly face cream. Akira gives him a minute to clean up and sees how sleepy he is. Before he stopped to think about it, Akira went up to Ryo, giving him a heads up and actually put his arms under Ryo’s legs and behind his back as he gently bridal-carried him from the bathroom to the bed, feeling Ryo’s head resting where his heart was. He wondered if Ryo could hear his heartbeat…?

Doing a bit of the crab-walk around the bed to Ryo’s side, Akira laid Ryo like a baby gently on the bed and proceeded to strip down into his boxers for the night. Ryo sat up a little and began to undress as well, putting on the pink nightwear that Akira fetched for him earlier. Akira called Betty over to them, watching as she stepped over to them. Soon all three of them were in bed, close to each other and under several blankets to keep warm. 

“I hope you know that the bridal carry was completely unnecessary.”

“Probably, but you loved it though.”

Ryo smiled, “I did. I did very much.”

"You okay? What's on your mind?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing concerning."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine." Ryo assured him by giving him a gentle smile. 

"Okay, well, if you need to talk to me about anything at all, I'm always here for you," Akira smiled back at him and leaned forward to kiss him. Ryo took the cue and the two of them shared a goodnight kiss before cuddling closer with Betty in between the two of them.

_Next Morning_

They were awoken by the sound of Betty barking at the window and the clock read 8:47 am on the nightstand.

“Ay, ay, ay, not this early in the morning.” Akira rose slowly to sit up and get ahold of Betty and get her to calm down. The puppy eventually did and crawled into Akira’s lap, receiving even more petting from him. The house was quiet again and Ryo was still somewhat asleep, though he did have a bit of a reaction to the barking by making a slight noise of annoyance. Ryo shifted and sighed as he fell back to sleep again on his stomach, his head turned to Akira. Akira smiled and gently scratched his head while playing with a lock of his hair. He heard Ryo hum in his sleep and see him smile a little. 

Akira kept the act up for several minutes until he stroked Ryo’s cheek in a gentle attempt to wake him up. Ryo opened his eyes a little and shifted again so that he could look up at Akira a little better.

“Morning, angel,” Akira whispered.

“Morning, baby.”

“We gotta get up soon, Jenny asked us to meet by the park today at ten.”

Ryo didn’t say anything but rose slowly and sat up next to him, placing his head on Akira’s shoulder.

“I know, I know. It’s a little earlier than you would probably like given last night, but we gotta ready. I’m gonna go ahead and make breakfast, okay?” Akira told him quietly, ending the sentence with a kiss in Ryo’s hair.

Ryo murmured something before stretching and getting out of bed, circling around it and heading in the hall to the bathroom. Akira stretches as well and picks up Betty to place her on the floor as he got up and went into the kitchen to make breakfast for the day. 

_A few hours later_

Jenny was casually relaxing on the park bench and reading a small novella under a massive Japanese maple tree, the red leaves gently floating on the breeze as they descended onto the ground. There were a few people walking around, some couples, small children and the like. The place was relatively peaceful and offered a sense of calm to the place.

Jenny checked her watch at the minute hand inched closer to the tenth hour. She wanted the boys to join her today in the park since it was nice out. 

She looked up from her watch as she caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking silver Starion make a sharp turn and enter the vicinity of the park by parallel-parking alongside the road. She watched as the car struggled a minute to park properly without being too far out into the road.

Judging by the sharp turn and difficulty in parallel-parking, she figured Ryo was in the driver’s seat and she was confirmed right when they finally parked the car and they both exited the vehicle, with Akira holding Betty in his arms. They appeared to be talking to each other about something.

Probably Akira getting onto Ryo for driving like a maniac or something like that.

They eventually found her and made their way over, Betty sniffing the ground as they approached Jenny.

“Good morning, darlings!” Jenny greeted them, her voice sugar-sweet.

She felt Ryo give her a hug, which she accepted gladly and so she joined them as the three of them began to walk through the park.

The park was becoming a little livelier as they walked by with Betty leading the way on her leash. There were small children playing in the field with their parents close by on the park benches watching them. There were small groups of older people who were practicing yoga together in slow motions. The birds flew from tree to tree, joining their friends and singing their little songs. Betty would occasionally catch glimpse of another dog walking and get excited, prompting her to run over and bark enthusiastically at the sight of a possible new friend. This would happen frequently as the owners would then engage in small talk before continuing their walk. Ryo would sneak his hand into Akira’s free one, making his cheeks warm. 

“We’ve been dating for how long and you still blush like a schoolboy,” Ryo teased, watching Akira’s face get redder by the minute. 

“I-I know…”

“You’re precious, y’know that?” Ryo told him with a soft smile.

Jenny smiled at them both, finding it endearing to watch them with their little antics and sweet gestures.

A little while later, they cross a bridge over a pond and sat down to rest at a park bench. Betty sat at their feet, panting happily. It was about time for lunch, hearing Akira's stomach growl being an indicator. 

“S-Sorry, that was a little loud,” Akira admitted sheepishly, laughing a little.

Ryo assured him that it was fine as Jenny pointed out a nearby food vendor on the other side of the park. Akira volunteered to grab something, asking Ryo if he wanted to come along. When he declined, Akira gave a kiss and went to go retrieve food.

“He's a treasure, isn't he?”

“Oh absolutely. He's adorable,” Ryo agreed.

“So how long have you two been dating for?”

“Oh, I'd say for about several months now.”

“I assume that things are going well between the two of you?”

“I'm loving every bit of it! I get to wake up next to him and get a good morning kiss and a cup of coffee from him, we snuggle on the couch and watch movies, we get to hold hands and go shopping around, which is always fun because then I can make him flustered, and we get to cuddle to sleep too! Sure we have little arguments now and again, but all in all, I love him so much,” Ryo gushed before he realized what he was saying before his face turned red in mild embarrassment, “Oh God, I was rambling, wasn't I? I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry, it's perfectly fine! Seeing you happy and healthy makes me happy too. I'm glad you're doing well.”

Ryo nodded cheerfully.

“So how are things with Betty in the house now?”

“It's great! If I'm being honest, it feels nice having a dog in the house again… kinda like with John…”

“I'm sure he would've liked Betty very much.”

“Yeah… I miss him sometimes.”

“I know.”

They both didn't speak for a moment as the mood got a little more somber.

“It all happened at once that I never had a chance to really say goodbye to him. That month that I was at the house with my dad, it just… I couldn't do it. I was so scared of what dad was going to do next that I never had a chance to really mourn for him. Now I don’t know if I can now with that house infested with demons and stuff.”

“Have you told Akira?”

“I haven't but I think he's aware of it. He knows that when John comes up in the conversation, he gets worried about me because I'm still a little emotional about that, so he tries to ease it out by trying to make me think of happy things.”

“Maybe you two should take a day and go back to the mansion. I don't sense any demons active right now and if I have to, I can keep them from getting close to you both.”

“You can do that?”

“Well I have my way of doing things and I understand how important this is to you.”

“Thanks for the consideration. That’s actually comforting to know.”

“Yes. I want you to be okay and I know that losing John was hard for you.”

“It was, but this will be for the best.”

Jenny nodded.

“Well, on a lighter note, have you thought about telling Akira about being official?”

“Official?” Ryo asked, confused before his brain put two and two together, “Ohhhhhh, not yet. I'm still a little nervous about that.”

“That's perfectly normal. I know you've wanted to tell for some time.”

“I know.”

“Sometimes things like need no rush. You’ve only been dating for a few months so it’s not wise to rush things like that.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“I know.” Ryo quietly told her, looking at the ground with a shy smile forming on his face. He smiled at the happy thoughts of him and Akira being together for real.

“Whatcha thinking about, Ryo?”

Ryo looked up to see Akira holding three bento boxers of various different food item contained in them. 

“A-Ah, n-nothing important!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I’m positive.” Ryo tried to put on a serious face. 

Akira saw Ryo’s eyes gleam a bit and he smiled as he sat the end of the bench on Ryo’s left, handing his boyfriend on one of the bento boxes and gave another one to Jenny. Before opening his box, Akira pulled out the small container of dog food and after popping it open, placed it on the ground by Betty. The puppy immediately went to her meal and began to eat her kibble.

“They sell bento boxes here?” Ryo asked Akira as he took out a piece of rice.

“Yeah, the vendor comes by every now and again and sells them.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it!”

“Lemme pay you back.”

“Babe, it’s fine.”

Jenny watched as the two gently bickered back and forth. It was adorable to watch them have these little arguments and knew that they weren’t being serious.

“Alright fine, but I’m paying for dinner the next time we go out.”

“Okay, okay… I love youuuu~”

“Love you too, baby.” Ryo huffed cutely as Akira gave him a peck on the cheek. They resumed their eating on the park bench with Akira wolfing down his food as per usual to the point that Ryo had to remind him to slow down a tad to keep from choking. 

Soon, they finished lunch and resumed their walk through the park for another hour or so before they decided to call it for the afternoon and so they went home, Jenny back to the hotel that she was staying at and the boys back to their apartment. They then spent the rest of the afternoon taking a nap before joining Jenny for dinner on the other side of town by the harbor, a nice coastal restaurant that overlooked the ocean. There were string lights that hung on the walls, giving the entire room a soft glow. It was a beautiful spot and the night was well lit with bright stars that littered the sky like little specks of silver glitter on a sheet of black paper.


	9. Grief and Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to forget a moment of your past isn’t always easy, especially when it involves overdue grief.

The night outside felt gloomy and rather depressing as faint cloud gently floated past the moon in a rather macabre fashion, like something out of a horror movie. The Starion slowly droves along the dirt road, feeling every little bump from the rocks that poked out of the ground. Inside the vehicle, the interior was silent, no music, no talking; it was all silent with nothing but the sound of the rumbling motor. Although no words were exchanged, there was still a little comfort, even in the somber silence: Akira had one hand on the wheel and the other on Ryo’s thigh, just to let him know that he was right there if he needed anything at all. Akira kept his eyes on the road while Ryo looked out the passenger side window and watched the trees go by. In Ryo’s lap laid a tiny bouquet of lilies.

Ryo had decided to visit the old family mansion again to pay respects and long overdue tears for an old friend.

“We’re here.” Akira calmly told him as he pulled the car up to the main entrance, where the gate was smashed open and there were pieces of brick, metal, and debris that were left untouched since the last time they were there. Akira carefully parked the car and turned it off, taking the key out of the ignition. Ryo still sat in that same position, appearing numb despite the heavy mix of grief and depression that weighed his heart down to his stomach.

“Hey.”

Ryo turned to acknowledge Akira with a tired expression.

“How are you feeling?”

Ryo didn’t respond for a moment but only sighing before speaking.

“............... I don’t know. I think I feel numb.”

“Wanna hug?” Akira asked quietly, noting Ryo’s depressed state and felt his own heart shattering into pieces.

Ryo didn’t say anything but weakly rose his arms to respond, so Akira reaches over the center console and takes Ryo into his arms, rubbing his back. They remained like that for a moment with Akira listening to Ryo’s shallow, quiet breathing, trying his hardest not to cry. 

After a minute, Ryo was the first to break from that hug, slowly slipping from Akira’s arms, his hands, his comfort, and security and turned to the passenger door to open it, saying a quiet “let’s go” as he stepped out of the vehicle. Akira did the same and shut the driver’s side door as he walked around to the front of the vehicle and met Ryo in the middle, and so they walked to the steps of the mansion’s front porch.

The long walk to the front porch made Ryo start to recollect on some old memories…

_Flashback_

_“Happy birthday, dear,” a woman’s soft voice told him. It was his mother, his own mother when she was still alive. They were all in the living room with presents spread out and he was sitting right in the middle of the carpet in front of the fireplace, which wasn’t lit at the moment. He was only a child still, at now eight years old. He was excited as any child would be on their birthday as he was ripping through the presents and seeing what kind of gifts he received, which varied from art supplies to some toys._

_His father whispered something in his mother’s ear and she nodded at whatever he said._

_“Ryo, I’ll be right back, okay?”_

_“Okay, father!” Ryo replied as he watched his father leave the room, “where is he going?”_

_“He’s going to grab a special present from our room. Don’t worry, we think you’ll love it,” his mother reassured him._

_A minute later, his father came back with a rather large box in his hands, making Ryo become curious as a cat. His father laid the package down on the floor in front of the child and Ryo immediately noticed the box move by itself. This intrigued him even more and so he naturally removed the lid and looked inside. His parents watched his face light up in glee as he reached down and saw an actual puppy out of the box, who then proceeded to attack his face with licks._

_“Is he actually mine?”_

_“Of course! Now you do realize you have to take care of him.”_

_“I know, don’t worry!”_

_Ryo didn’t so much as waste a moment taking the puppy out of the box and placed him on the floor. The puppy then crawled on top of Ryo, tackling him to the floor and continued to excitedly lick his face. The living room soon was filled the laughter of a small child and his new puppy with his parents looking on, lovingly content._

_“So what are you going to name him, Ryo?” His mother asked calmly._

_Ryo had a chance to sit up a bit as she asked the question. He thought about it, soon becoming apparent that he was struggling to come up with a good one. His father was about to say something until Ryo blurted out a name out of the blue:_

_“John.”_

_“So you want to name him John?”_

_“.... Yes.”_

_“Alright then, John it is.” His father affirmed on the fact and Ryo resumed to play with the puppy on the floor, ignoring any of the other presents on the floor_

_End of Flashback_

“Ryo? You okay?”

The memory was interrupted as he found himself right in front of the door and he heard Akira’s voice enter his ears. He blinked back to reality and turned to Akira, who looked worried.

“Sorry, what was the question?”

“I was just asking if you were okay. You were looking out of it.”

“I’m alright, it’s nothing.”

“Okay…”

Ryo took a breath and unlocked the front door with the key he still had, and so they both entered the mansion.

The state of the mansion was left unchanged, in fact, it remained in the same partially-destroyed, run-down state that it was in the last time that they were here. Akira didn’t sense any demons or anything suspicious, Ryo thought that it must be Jenny’s work. They still were on high alert, however, as they passed through the main entrance area with the stairs going up to the second floor almost in shambles, but not so much so that it was impassable. The carpet on the floor was torn to shreds and some of the wood was splintered in various directions. There was debris in every corner of the rooms downstairs and even shards of sharp, broken glass scattered about. Overall, the place was trashed but nothing else had changed besides that.

“I’ll follow you. You know this place better than I do.”

Ryo simply nodded and led Akira down the main hallway. It was creepily quiet and Akira stayed close to Ryo in case anything happened.

Even though Ryo had to do this by himself, in his heart, he felt glad that Akira was there beside him to help him get through this. At first, he was worried about dragging Akira into his personal stuff like this but in the end, it was better for him because it meant that he wouldn’t be alone.

They both walked down the straight hallway toward the back of the house where the back door led to the woods behind the Asuka mansion. The huge oak trees were motionless except when the occasional breeze blew by and gently rustling the leaves. Ryo felt his eyes well up with tears but took a breath and hesitantly held onto Akira’s hand as they walked into those familiar woods. It seemed like only yesterday when he and John would run through those woods…

_“John! You out here?” Ryo called out to his English Mastiff companion and did not receive a reply after a minute of waiting. His heart grew worried as he trekked through the wooded terrain with the trees towering over him, all the while calling him. With every step, fear started to grow in his heart, though he tried to remain positive._

_“John? Are you here, boy?” Ryo pushed aside some brush._

_His eyes widened._

_His already-pale face was white as a sheet._

_His heart ceased to beat._

_The sight that greeted him made him scream in absolute gut-wrenching, sickening horror._

_He found John._

_Rather, he found John’s **head.**_

_He found his decapitated head that was slammed onto a sharp branch, the fresh blood and organs still dripping off of the wood. His eyes with stiff and white. Under the head was the headless, rotting body, its organs spilled out on the dusty ground. The insides were still pulsating and moving, as though this incident had just occurred only a moment before._

_There was blood, so much blood, and it was **everywhere.**_

_Ryo slowly walked up to the head, his shaking hands reaching out to touch the dog that was once alive. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and his voice cracked as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing in front of him._

_This had to be a nightmare._

_This had to be._

_It had to._

_He prayed it was._

_That is, until he touched one of the ears and **realized it wasn’t.**_

_Ryo thought he couldn’t run fast enough back to the house, his once-innocent mind permanently scarred from the horror._

“RYO!” He felt his body being shaken and he snapped out of it to see Akira in front of him, scared out of his mind.

Ryo stiffened and shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of that horribly painful memory. He felt his eyes well up again as he tried to fight back tears. He wasn't even at the site yet and he was already on the edge to bawl his eyes out. He took a deep breath and slid Akira's hands off of his shoulders. 

“Angel, please… We can do it another time if you want,” Akira weakly pleaded as Ryo stood still for a moment. 

“I have to, Akira. If I can’t do it now, I’ll never be able to do it and rest peacefully. I need to do this.”

Neither of them said a word for a moment.

“.............. okay.”

Akira stepped aside as Ryo advanced slowly to the tree, that one marked tree in the entire woods. It was marked with a white ribbon and had a little, dilapidated cross nailed into the base where the roots curled about. There was an outlined square on the ground in front of it, the borders having little flowers woven into it. Akira watched as Ryo knelt down on the ground in front of the little grave site and knelt down next to him, his hand gently laid on Ryo’s shoulder. With shaking hands, Ryo laid the lilies in the outlined square. 

“Take all the time you need. I’ll be right here,” Akira calmly told him in an attempt to soothe him, knowing full well this was going to take a while, and that was okay with him. He was going to be there for Ryo and help him through this. Ryo nodded, his emotional walls slowly crumbling and his voice failing him.

Ryo took a deep breath and a moment of silence before speaking.

“Hey, J-John. I-It’s me, Ryo…. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Ryo felt his throat going a little raw and felt the tears coming on, though he tried to maintain his composure for as long as he could, though he knew that trying to keep up the facade was futile. Akira discreetly slipped his hand into his and was mildly surprised to find Ryo squeezing it. Akira squeezed back to let him know he was right there.

“You were… a good boy, a wonderful boy, and I… I love you so much, John… it feels as though I-I didn’t say it enough… you were such a good boy and I miss you so much…”

Tears were even more prevalent as his facade slowly dropped to the ground. 

“I love you, John, I love you, I love you, I love you! You were a good boy. I-It's okay, you're safe now. You're going to be okay. J-Just be good, okay? Everything’s going to be okay! You're a good boy, John… J-John...”

Ryo's composure finally fell and shattered like fragile glass on the ground. Sobs erupted from his throat as dignity gave way to raw emotion as he found himself sobbing as he let out every grieving emotion he had, calling out the name of the pet that was once with him. He clutched his shirt where his heart was and let tears plop down on his thighs.

All those years of bottling up his emotions and now he was bawling his eyes out to the point that he almost couldn’t breathe. His heart was hurting so much but it felt so good to finally speak his mind and break the silence once and for all.

Akira felt tears well up in his own eyes as he watched the love of his life be so deep into long, overdue grief. He could only, for the moment, stroke his back and place his other hand on his arm that was clutching his shirt. Ryo turned slowly, tears still rolling down his face and his face red and puffy from crying. Ryo was about ready to go through another breakdown as Akira quickly pulled him tightly and felt Ryo sob into his shoulder, his jaw slack and his face hot. Akira tried to soothe him by stroking his hair and his back. He felt Ryo grip the back of his shirt and hug him for dear life like a lifeline that he was scared to let go of. 

This kept on for about several minutes as Ryo gradually began to calm down and Akira would calmly shush him and sway a little back and forth, hearing Ryo’s breathing slow down to normal. His breathing was a little rough but at least he wasn’t hyperventilating. Ryo would whimper whenever his voice failed him. Akira placed so many kisses in his hair and on his forehead as he would lovingly stroke him as Ryo laid up against him.

Ryo honestly felt like a little kid in his mother’s embrace, only he was in his boyfriend’s arms in the middle of the woods, and he was perfectly okay with that. 

“You okay, babe?”

“Yeah,” Ryo replied for the first time in a while, his voice a little hoarse, “T-Thank you…”

“Absolutely. I’m always gonna be here for you, no matter what happens.”

Ryo felt that he couldn’t be thankful enough that Akira was there with him; it made the whole grieving process a little easier.

“So what do you want to do now?”

Ryo silently looked back at the grave and stared at it for a moment, then sighing.

“... Let’s go on back home.”

“Do you feel better?”

“A lot better now. It feels like a load has been taken off. It probably will be a while before I forgive the incident completely, but right now is a step.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“So let’s go on home.”

“Okay.”

They both got up awkwardly from the ground that they had been sitting on for about a half-hour. The night was cooler than normal as they began to walk away. Ryo turned around at the gravesite to look at it for the last time before joining Akira and walking out of the woods, hand in his.

They both reached the back of the house where Akira held the door for him and they both walked down the old hallway. Something about the house changed, even though it hadn’t been touched.

It felt… lighter? Was that the word? Whatever the feeling was, it didn’t feel as depressing as before.

They were about to reach the door before Akira stopped him.

“Is there anything that you want to get from here before we leave?”

Ryo thought it over for a moment before shaking his head.

So they both walked out of the house and Ryo was able to walk away from his past.

_Later_

The Starion pulled back up to the driveway and Akira turned the ignition off. They both exited the car and walked up the front steps of the porch before Akira fiddled with the keys for a moment and unlocked it. Akira opened the door and the two of them found themselves with an enthusiastic Betty barking and welcoming her owners home. Before Akira could react, Ryo dropped to the floor and lavished love and affection on her, giving her kisses and back rubs all the while holding her. Jenny came up from the kitchen to welcome the boys home and found that Betty was already doing her job for her. Nevertheless, she was able to hug Akira as the two of them watch Betty lick all over Ryo with him heartily laughing like a happy child.

“You okay there, babe?”

“Yes, yes. I-I’m alright!” Ryo assured them before turning his attention to Betty, “ _Who’s a good girl? You are! Yes you are! Yes indeed you are!_ ”

“I’m going to go take Jenny back to her hotel.”

“Okay. Good night!” Ryo managed to get up from the floor and give a parting hug to Jenny.

“Good night dear. Sweet dreams.”

“I’ll be back!” Akira called out to him as he escorted Jenny out of the house and into the driveway. After they both got into the car, Akira turned the car on again and so they both drove off into the city.

“So how is Ryo?” Jenny asked him, fully aware of their trip to the Asuka estate.

“He sounds much better. I was a little worried about driving there because of his emotional state.”

“We talked about it the night before and he sounds much better tonight than he did last night.”

“I bet… it took a while, but he was able to grieve for as long as he needed to.”

“John’s death was very hard for him, but I’m glad that he was able to work through his grieving.”

“Me, too. It hurt just listening to him. It was heartbreaking, to say the least.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“I think that he’ll be okay, he just needs some time, I think.”

“That’s wise.”

They drove through the night into the city, with the two of them exchanging stories about him and reminiscing. After thanking Jenny for watching over Betty and taking her back to her hotel, Akira drove on back to the apartment just as some quiet, soothing rain came on.

Akira walked in to find his boyfriend passed out on their bed with Betty curled up next to him, his day clothes still on. Akira smiled as he walked to the bedroom and carefully climbed into Bed next to Ryo, making Betty wake up and move as Akira wrapped his arm protectively around Ryo and gave him a gentle kiss to the forehead. Betty got re-situated on the top of them and they all passed out as the rain quietly pattered outside.


	10. Fall Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fall festivals are always fun and full of surprises

_About a month later_

The weather is starting to dip a little and it’s officially sweater season as the lovely season of autumn had finally come to town. The warm colors of reds, oranges, and yellows were all around as the leaves delicately fell from trees or would circle around on the breeze. Any leaves that fell on the ground would immediately get pounced on as a certain English Mastiff puppy would try to crunch any and all leaves. Betty was now several months old now and it definitely showed as her ever-growing size as an indicator.

Her owners were donned in long sleeves and jackets, with Ryo wearing the gray trenchcoat that he got for his birthday. It was finally cool enough to wear it and Ryo wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to wear it. 

“You oughta wear that more, it suits you,” Akira commented happily, seeing his boyfriend being cheerful.

“Oh, I will! Especially if a certain boy picked it out just for me,” Ryo teased, making Akira blush.

The two playfully jested with each other as they held hands in the park before they looked ahead and saw what appeared to be several booths, like the kind one would find at a festival of sorts. 

Speaking of festivals…

“Wait, isn’t there a fall festival this weekend?”

“Yes, there is! Mrs. Yuko was talking about setting up her booth at work.”

“She has a booth? For what?”

“I think she said it was for painted pots, like flowers pots.”

“You wanna go?”

“Please? It looks fun!”

“Alright, alright,” Akira accepted as they both walked to the gathering of booths. It was obvious from the large crowd of people that it must be popular. What they found was a beautiful display of autumn appreciation in the form of homemade crafts and delicious food items. The crafts ranged from everything like little charms to seasonal home decor. Various smells of food items like meat and sugary sweets filled the air. There were even little mini-games at some of the booths, such as catching small fish to other little games as well. There were small children running around with little handmade toys and a myriad of noises was a through the air.

All in all, to say that the festival looked inviting was an understatement.

The trio entered the vicinity of the festival boundaries and slowly began to gawk at all of the little attractions that were available. Ryo caught eye of a booth that had taiyaki, which is a fish-shaped cake treat. 

“Ahhhh, taiyaki! It looks so good!”

“You want one? I can get it.”

“Don't worry about it, I can get it.”

“No, I'll get it.”

“I'm going to fight you,” Ryo huffed cutely as Akira's hearty laughter practically bellowed at the empty threat. He then relented as Ryo asked the vendor for two taiyakis. They watch as he took the two freshest ones and handed them the treats with Ryo paid the vendor man accordingly and so they went on their way. 

You know that one anime trope you see in anime where the character does where they “nom” the food and have that sideways ‘3’ for a smile?

That was Ryo currently, according to Akira. Oh, and pair that with shiny eyes of glee.

“Is it really that good?”

“Yeah, it is actually. Try it!” 

Akira took a bit of his and took a moment to chew, finding that Ryo was right.

“Oh hey, this is good!”

“Isn't it?”

They both continued to walk down the middle of the park, Akira having his hand on Betty’s leash. They were then greeted by some small children who took a liking to Betty and they politely asked them if they could pet her. Not seeing a problem with it, they both agreed and so they sat down on a nearby bench as they began to give Betty attention, who didn’t mind it one bit.

“So what’s his name?” One of them asked, who was a small girl and no more than seven.

“Her name is Betty.”

“Awww! How old is she?”

“She about…,” Akira took a moment to count on his fingers, “... about 18 weeks, I think. Right?”

“That sounds about right,” Ryo agreed before answering the child’s question, “So a little over four months.”

“Wow! She’s so big for a puppy!” They exclaimed as they continued to pet her for a bit. Akira and Ryo took that moment to finish up their taiyaki treats as they relaxed on the bench and watched the children play around Betty. She was almost as big as the children were and so they both kept an eye out to make sure that Betty would not try to jump on top of them. 

“You wanna walk around some more?” Akira asked Ryo was finished his last bite of his taiyaki.

“Sure, I wanna see what’s all here,” Ryo replied.

“Alright.”

They both got up from the bench and, after waving the children good-bye with them thanking the boys for letting them play with Betty, went on their merry way.

“Well, they were nice.”

“Yeah. Children like that make me a little nervous sometimes, but they were polite.”

“Yeah.”

They both passed a few booths, with one involved with a fish-catching game and another food vendor seeing various snack treats. The afternoon started to fade slightly into the early evening as the lanterns that were handing all across the booths and connecting them began in bright colors, illuminating the walkway above the people’s heads. There were colored “dots” on the ground as the lanterns swayed with the little breeze that blew by. The booths became a little more lively as they became well-lit from the inside out, the golden lights warm and inviting from the walkway. There were some people, mainly children, with mini sparklers and some paper toys. 

“Boys! Yo-hoo!” A woman called out. Akira and Ryo both turned to the source of the call and to their pleasant surprise, it was none other than Mrs. Yuko herself. She was proudly the center of a rather small booth whose theme was painted ceramics in bright colors. 

“We didn’t even know you were back here! How are you?” Akira exclaimed as Mrs. Yuko circled around her booth to give the boys a hug, which she always did every time they greeted her. Being as short as she was compared to them, they both had to reach down in order for her to wrap her arms around their necks and give them each a kiss accordingly. She really was like a mother to both of them, always trying to look out for them. She then knelt down and gave a good scratch 

“It’s so wonderful to see you all out here on this fine evening!”

“We wanted to stop by and see what was happening.”

“How’s business?” Ryo asked her as she sat down again behind her booth.

“Business has been going steady. It’s a nice turnout this evening, but then it usually is.”

“That’s good at least.”

“So can I interest you in some pots? Take all the time you want!” She replied with a smile.

“We will,” Akira assured her as Ryo was eyeing a particular pot with blue and white flowers carefully painted all around it. The craftsmanship was remarkable and definitely showed some skill. 

“How about this one, Akira?”

“Oh, that’s neat! Is there any other ones that you want?”

“Lemme look a little more. Keep that one though,” Ryo told him as he continued to look at the pots. 

“So how is everything at your apartment?”

“Um, all’s well. Betty’s getting bigger every day it seems like and it’s getting a little difficult to carry her around.”

“I can imagine! I bet she enjoyed it, though.”

“Oh, she does! I’d carry her around and Ryo would spoil her rotten!”

“No, I don’t!” Ryo objected from the ground.

“Yes, you do.”

“I do no such thing.”

“You are a horrible liar.”

“Well, Betty likes the attention!”

“I bet she does!” Akira playfully chastised him before they both erupted in cute laughter. Betty sniffed around the pots and wove in and between them, with Ryo still being within reach to keep her from accidentally breaking any pots.

“You two argue like an old married couple, it’s adorable.” Mrs. Yuko casually mentioned as she sat down in her chair behind her counter. 

“Sometimes, it be like that,” Akira replied as he looked at Ryo pointing out a pot and talking to Betty was sitting next to him, “So what have you been up to?”

“Well, I just came back from a doctor’s appointment. Had to get some tests done and what not. I’m still awaiting the results on that. On the plus side, my son and his wife are coming in from Nagoya to visit for a little bit in about a week or so, that’ll be fun. I get to see my grandbabies!”

“That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah, so I gotta get my husband to help me with tidying up the house for a bit. I ought to invite you and Ryo to our house for dinner some time!”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Absolutely! We’d be more than happy to have you! You both are basically like our adopted sons anyway, so why not?”

“T-That’s generous of you.”

Mrs. Yuko nodded in a cute fashion; she really was like a mother to both of them. In fact, she probably was old enough to be their mother anyway. But she was very sweet and checked up on them as much as she could. 

“So did you find any other pots, Ryo?” Mrs. Yuko asked Ryo, who had just pulled up another pot that had multi-colored flowers on a white background.

“I think I got one, Mrs. Yuko!” Ryo answered as he stood back up and handed the colored pots to her to add up the prices for the two pots.

“Just these two?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s was a hard decision to make. They’re so cute!”

“Why thank you! I had some help, but I like the way they turned out,” she replied with a smile, “Alright, that will be nine hundred yen.”

“Nine hundred? I thought these were a little more?” 

“They are, but think of this as like an employee’s discount.”

Akira and Ryo both looked at each other in slight confusion before they shrugged and Akira took out the required yen to pay for the pots. Mrs. Yuko counted the money as Ryo put the pots together. Betty was looking up and wagging her tail as her owners were about to walk away. They waved goodbye to Mrs. Yuko, wishing her good business before they started to explore other parts of the festival.

Toward the end of the night, they witnessed a magic show, some food vendors working on their crafts of various different food items and even got to receive a paper charm wishing them both a long and healthy life. The night created a beautiful backdrop with the colored lanterns now fully lit and swaying to the breeze. The night was wonderful and a warm welcome to the fall season.

_A Little Later_

Akira was cooking supper on the stove, getting the meal of rice, miso soup, ramen, and other foods ready to eat. Betty was lying lazily on the kitchen floor by feet, causally relaxing from all of the walking and excitement that happened at the fall festival earlier that afternoon. After a moment, Ryo came out through the front door, his hands covered in soil and his jeans with wet patches on his knees as he had just converted some plants into the new pots on the front porch.

“Well, I got some of the plants, and thank God. I didn’t realize that one of the pots was actually cracked on the side.”

“Really? Well, I guess it was a good thing that we got those pots when we did.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna go wash up. Is Betty in the kitchen?”

“Yup! She’s right here,” Akira answered as he pointed to Betty on the floor, who arose slightly at the call of her name. She got up and wobbled over to Ryo, who sat down on the bed to dress into his nightwear. Betty hopped on the bed and snuggled up next to him as Ryo took his jeans off.

“What? What is it, baby? You tired? I imagine, from all of that walking.” Ryo talking in that baby talk again as he scratched behind her ears and laid a kiss on her forehead and getting up from the bed to walk into the kitchen. There he snuck behind Akira and wrapped his arms around his stomach, lying up against his back. Akira looked down to see Ryo’s arms and looked behind him to see Ryo snuggled up against him.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I’m sleepy.”

“I know you are.”

“You’re warm,” Ryo then buried his face into Akira’s back, welcoming his body heat.

“I should hope so. You like that?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m about to get dinner on in a few minutes. You can’t be in that position forever.”

“I know.”

Akira chuckled as he placed one hand on his stomach, on top of Ryo’s hands while he used the other to cook the various foods on the stove. 

“I don’t wanna move.”

“I know you don’t, but I don’t think you want burnt food either.”

“That’s true.”

They stood there for a moment.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, angel.”

Akira could feel Ryo shifting his grip and snuggle a little tighter on his back.

“Let’s go ahead and eat, okay?”

“Okay.”

Ryo released his hug, albeit slowly as he pulled away and went to take his spot at the small table. Betty went to join them in the kitchen for dinner as Akira put each of the dishes one by one on the table. They then enjoy the meal quietly in comfort.


	11. Trick or Treat!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween is always a holiday worth celebrating

“Ahhhhhhh, look at this one Akira, it’s adorable!” Ryo gushed as he picked out a vampire’s cape made specifically for large. They were currently in a grocery store picking up stuff for Betty and Ryo happened to stumble across some basic costumes for pets in the pet section. He had spent the past few minutes gawking and gushing over the cute costumes. It was that time of year again after all.

“What do you think of this one, Akira?”

“It’s cute, but are you sure that’s gonna fit Betty? I know it says "large dog" but still.”

“It looks about her size anyway.”

“I’d say go with the hot dog one.”

“The hot dog one is nice but it gets done a lot and besides it would fit something like a dachshund better than an English Mastiff.”

“True, but it’s still funny.”

“I know, I know.”

They squabbled quietly like an old married couple over the costumes for a bit before heading to the front counter to pay for groceries and their chosen costume. The wind was picking up a little outside as they exited the store, bags of groceries in hand.

Later that afternoon

“You don’t look half-bad as a werewolf, Akira. It suits you,” Ryo commented as he brushed up on his make-up in the bathroom. Akira was fixing his chocolate-colored wolf ears behind him. 

“Well, it was either that or Frankenstein.” 

“I can see you being Frankenstein; you got the build for it.”

“Yeah, I might do that one next year.”

“Does my makeup look okay?” Ryo asked as he walked out of the bathroom so that Akira could see him. Akira looks up to find his boyfriend decked out in a long velvet cape over what appeared to be eighteenth-century attire, red vest over a white collared shirt and black slacks

“I figured you were going as a vampire, it fits you. Your makeup looks fine, angel.”

“Alright, I’m ready if you are.”

“Okie Dokie! Let’s get Betty.”

They both walked into the living room to find Betty lying on the floor in her get-up, which was white skeleton bones on a black shirt. She arose to see her owners and started to jump about in excitement.

“Hey, baby! Oh my goodness, you look so precious!” Ryo crooned as he knelt down to give Betty a hug and rub her back. Betty barked at her owners happily, ready to go out for the evening. Ryo goes up and attached a leash to Betty’s collar and soon the three of them were out the door as they walked to the car and hopped in, Ryo in the driver’s seat this time. Akira immediately held his breath.

“There’s no rush babe, we’ll be on time.”

“I know but I would like to get there early.”

“No speeding Ryo!”

“Can’t promise that dear. Besides I’m a good driver!”

“Sure, a good driver that whips through town like you’re getting chased or something.”

“We haven’t been caught yet, haven’t we?”

“Still…”

“Despite this, you still love me.”

“I do, but I want the both of us to be alive so I can keep loving you.”

Akira watched Ryo blush and look down at his lap, his voice failing him as he quietly gushed over the attention. After a moment, he cleared his head and Ryo started the vehicle. The car moved away from the driveway and soon they were heading down the road into town. They were heading to a Halloween party that was hosted at the animal clinic and Akira knew that Ryo always wanted to attend every year that they were there. Akira liked Halloween but Ryo loved every little thing about the spooky holiday.

He hadn’t had a chance to tell him, but he thought Ryo looked cute in his costume.

The city was aglow with Halloween decorations, like lighted jack-o-lanterns in the shop front windows and little hanging decorations on the trees and wreaths on street lamps. The entire city appeared to have an orange glow to it to add to the spooky vibe. It may have been spooky, but it wasn’t in a scary way. It was adorable seeing little kids running to and fro dressed as witches and ghosts with their parents walking by them to make sure they don’t get too close to the street. 

In fact, the scariest thing about the whole thing was how calm Ryo’s driving was. He didn’t pull any of his usual tricks and stuff when turning and he didn’t seem to have that red glare in his eyes to do something worthy of getting pulled over.

“You okay, Ryo? I’ve never seen you drive this calm before.”

“I’m fine, I just don’t want to accidentally hit a kid.”

“That’s fair, but then again, it’s like fair game any other day of the year.”

“Halloween is special and I want to keep it that way.”

“Very well,” Akira concluded as he continued to pet Betty in his lap, who was looking out into the window at the lovely scenery outside. 

They eventually reached the front of the animal shelter, where it held paper decorations in the windows and the front doors were done up in black paper with little stickers and things on them. Ryo turned the car off as he and Akira exited the vehicle and walked through the doors of the place. 

They found themselves right in the middle of a party, presumably the Halloween party, where they saw their coworker and their families and friends all in a gorgeous display of different costumes. Some of the animals were even dressed in cute little costumes of their own, walking around and playing with each other. The walls were lined with colorful streamers twirled in a pattern overlapping each other and across the ceiling above the guests. Some music was playing in the background under the air of chatter amongst them. 

“Ahh, I’m glad you could make it! Come on in, come on in!” Mrs. Yuko greeted them at the door and brought them in. She was dressed in a cute witch costume, the color scheme being orange and black and she had a cat wrapped behind her neck.

Ryo wasn’t sure if she was seeing things but Mrs. Yuko looked thinner than normal, like she dropped some weight, not that she was big to begin with. 

“How are you two this evening?”

“We’re doing fine, Mrs. Yuko. This is one of the biggest parties yet that I’ve seen.”

“It certainly is! It’s wonderful being able to see everyone all decked out and they look so cute!” Mrs. Yuko bubbled as the boys sat down at a nearby table, Betty sitting on the floor next to Ryo. Mrs. Yuko then went back into the crowd, probably to go converse with other people some more. 

One of their coworkers, came to join them at their table, dressed in what looked like something the Lady of the Lake would wear in the King Arthur legend.

“Hey, you two! Might if I join your company?”

“I don’t see why not. How are you, Chiko?”

“I’m doing alright. My mom finally got out of the hospital two days ago from that surgery that she had on her knee.”

“I heard about that! Hope she’s doing better.”

“She is, she just has to take it easy, which may prove difficult because she is not one to sit still and chill. How’s your place?”

“We’re doing okay! Betty’s still growing, she’s about several months already.” Akira replied, cheerfully.

“So I see! She’s getting to be a big girl!”

Betty barks happily at the sound of her name and wagged her tail hard enough that she was wiggling slightly.

“She old enough to tackle either one of you to the ground?”

“Oh, she does it all the time in the living room when we come home. Of course, for the time being, we pretend but I don’t doubt that she can actually knock us over when she gets bigger.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s a lot more children here than I remember.” Ryo pointed out.

“Yeah, the Kabutos are here and some of them are from out of town. Nagisa brought his family over as well which means a lot of small children. I think a couple other people brought their kids as well.”

“I see, well at least the animals have someone to play with now.” 

“That’s true. I don’t know how you do it, Ryo. I see you in the other room having kittens and puppies crawl all over you and you’re not the least bit fatigued.”

“You get used to it, I suppose. I do get tired but it’s all worth it though.”

“I should assume so.”

“He’s also really cute too when he’s playing with them,” Akira chimed in and Chiko watched as Ryo’s face turn dark as his red vest.

“Hello, you all! Happy Halloween!”

They looked to find Mrs. Yuko’s husband, Mr. Tanaka, dressed in as Frankenstein’s monster with the old clothes and the makeup to complete the look. Akira and Ryo were familiar were him, he would show up a few times and sometimes bring food for the staff. He was a small gentleman, much like his wife and just as sweet. The younger kids sometimes called him Grandpa Tanaka out of affection.

“Hi, Mr. Tanaka!” Akira greeted cheerfully. 

“You kids having fun this evening?”

“We are! Hope you are.”

“Oh believe me I am! The children are wonderful little people and quite entertaining as well. Let me see… a werewolf, a vampire, and the lady of the Lake?”

“You’re correct,” Chiko replied.

“Ahh, how amazing! Well I gotta find my wife, so I have to get going, but it’s wonderful to see you all here,” He chimed with a warm smile. He was called Grandpa Tanaka for a reason.

About an hour into the party and it’s a bit more lively than before. There were two costume contests, one for the children and one for the adults. Ryo actually won second place and got the runner-up prize of a gift card for a fancy restaurant in town. The winner was one of their coworkers dressed as a creature of the Black Lagoon, a sea monster. The party then resumed as normal. Ryo got up from the table and told Akira that he was going to get drinks and walked over to the food table to find some punch. At the table, he noticed Mrs. Yuko on the other end, picking up a plate.

The one thing that Ryo immediately noticed was the tiredness that she seemed to display, not just from a “oh I’m just tired from all of the walking and such”, it was more like an “I’m so exhausted that I need to sit down for a while” kind of tired. Ryo grew a little concerned as he walked over with two glasses in his hand.

“Mrs. Yuko?”

“Ah, hello dear! Are you and Akira enjoying the party?”

“We are ma’am. Are you though? You look a little exhausted.”

“I do feel a little tired, but don’t worry about me, it’s probably just the festivities is all.”

“You sure?”

“I’ll be alright but I do appreciate the concern.”

“Okay, well just let us know if you’re not feeling well.”

“I will, I will. You go have fun tonight dear. Happy Halloween!” She replied, her voice still a little fatigued.

“Happy Halloween to you, too.” Ryo calmly returned the greeting.

He stepped to the side as he watched her pick up some food before walking away. Something was off about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so worried, but why was he worried in the first place? Maybe it really it was just the party and he’s overthinking things. Still, she looked fatigued and Ryo was concerned. His mind was in a muddled state as he brought the drinks over to where Akira was standing and handed one of the glasses to him. 

“Thanks, babe,” Akira thanked him as he snuck a kiss and noted Ryo’s expression, “Is something wrong?”

“O-Oh, it’s nothing. Just was thinking of something trivial, don’t worry about it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m positive.”

“Alright.”

They spent the rest of their time conversing and participating in little games that were hosted that evening. In the far corner the children played with the animals in a large playpen. Betty was receiving all kinds of attention from some of the children, who found her to be docile and chill with almost everything they did. By the ninth hour, the party was starting to wind down as more and more people were starting to head out and go home. Akira took this as a cue to pick up Betty from her little spot in the playpen and physically carry her, meeting back up with Ryo by the door.

“You ready to head out, angel?”

“Oh yeah. I'm about worn out.”

“Same here. Tell you what, I’ll drive home this time.

“Please? That would be nice.”

They were both about to walk out, but not before they were about to catch Mrs. Yuko to let them know that they were heading out for the night.

“Alright, you boys take care now! Drive home safely and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!”

“Yes, ma’am,” They both replied.

“We also have to have dinner sometime! Just let me know when it would be a good time with you.”

“Alright, we’ll talk it over. Bye!”

“Bye-bye!”

They both got back to their vehicle and Akira allowed Ryo a chance to slump into the passenger seat before placing Betty on his lap. Akira walked back around to the driver’s side and started the car.

They drove back off into the city as the night continued to get dark. The streetlamps were still as brightly lit as before and the streets were not as crowded with children, so it was assumed that everyone was going home for the night.

The car interior was silent except for the low rumble of the engine. At the stoplight, Akira was about to ask Ryo something but looked over and saw that he and Betty were both fast asleep in the passenger seat, Ryo leaning up against the door. Akira smiled widely, feeling blessed at the adorable sight of his sleeping boyfriend and their puppy baby snuggled up and asleep in blissful slumber.

Eventually, the car was out of the city and pulling into the driveway of their tiny apartment. Turning the ignition off Akira turned to his boyfriend, who was still sleeping and reached over the center console to plant a kiss on Ryo’s temple and cheek, making the blonde’s eyes flutter awake.

“Hey, we’re home now.”

“Already?” Ryo asked, his words slightly slurred from drowsiness.

“Yup, now let’s get in on inside and change out so we can go cuddle to sleep. Would you like that?”

Ryo quietly nodded and Akira smiled, his hand reaching up to stroke his cheek.

“Okay, let’s get inside then.”

Ryo nodded a little and stretched out before stumbling out of the vehicle, stirring Betty up from her sleep and making her jump out onto the ground. Ryo followed soon after, getting up from the seat and shutting the door. They both walked up the steps and Akira fumbled with the keys to open the front door. They then stumbled in and walked straight to their bedroom, where they proceeded to slowly take their costumes off. Ryo took his cape off and folded it into a tiny pile, then took off the shirt and slacks with Akira taking the ears and tail off and his clothes off, too. Soon they were down to their boxers and Ryo stole a blanket off of the bed as he walked into the bathroom, getting ready to wash his face off of makeup, sweat and anything else.

To Akira, watching Ryo wipe his makeup was a little like watching a bunny rabbit clean its face and it was kinda cute.

Akira then joined him in the bathroom just as Ryo was just finishing up and wrapped his arms around Ryo’s waist and planted a soft on his neck.

“You look like a little bunny washing his face.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah, and it’s cute watching you,” Akira told him as he planted some more kisses on his temple and left cheek.

Ryo blushed again and giggled quietly.

“So what were you thinking about earlier that made you worried?”

Ryo’s face changed to a more somber one as he recalled back to that time at the party.

“Well…”

“Hm?”

“Baby, I’m worried about Mrs. Yuko.”

“How so?”

“Well, she looked really tired at the party, like she was fatigued. Also, did she look like she’s lost some weight.”

“Yeah, I noticed that, too.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking about it, I’m just concerned.”

“That’s okay, and don’t worry I noticed it too when I was talking with her.”

“Hope she’s okay.”

“She may be, she might just be going through a sickness or something. It happens.”

“Yeah.”

“So are you done cleaning your face? I still gotta give some cuddles.”

“Yes, just a sec’. We gotta brush our teeth first.”

“Yeah.”

So the two got to it and soon they were both cleaned up and ready for bed. Akira had taken off the costume that Betty was wearing and placed it on the dresser for the night as Ryo crawled into bed. Akira then crawled into bed with him and Ryo felt himself being pulled into Akira’s chest, a source of warmth and soft love. Ryo smiled.

This was always the best part of the night.


	12. Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boyfriends get invited for a meal and enjoy some friendly company

_One week later_

Akira adjusted his collar and dusted off his suit jacket as Ryo was getting his loafers on. Betty sat on the bed with a little red bow collar around her neck, expectantly waiting for her owners to get ready. They had been invited by Mrs. Yuko and Mr. Tanaka to their home for dinner this evening and they wanted to at least have a “business casual” look since the dinner wasn’t going to be a fancy affair.

“I wonder what their house is like?”

“Who knows, but knowing them, they probably have a tidy house with several dogs and room of antiques and plants.”

“That’s not a far-off assumption.”

“Yeah. Then again, we could be totally mistaken.”

“That’s true, too, but it was nice of them to let us join them for dinner.”

“Yeah. You ready to go, angel?”

“I am if you are.”

“Alright, let’s go get some food!” Akira cheered happily.

Ryo chuckled to himself; regardless of what Akira was doing, he was always down for food of any proportion, just as long as he was fed. Ryo got up from the bed and called Betty to their side. 

Betty was easily several months now and her increasing weight was making it a little harder for Akira to carry her since Ryo didn’t have the strength to carry her at all. This hasn’t stopped Akira from trying and there would be a few occasions where Ryo would find Akira either in bed, the couch or even the floor with Betty sitting on his stomach and chest and Akira would be perfectly okay with it. 

They both walked out the door and soon they were on the road again to the suburbs near the city limits.

_Later_

“So this is the place?”

“Looks like it. The number is right, and we're on time, too.”

“Yeah, let's go in.”

They parked the car on the curb in front of the entrance, which was an opening between two wall barriers, tan in color and had some vines that sprawled up the wall. The opening led to the front lawn, where the pathway was a pretty cobblestone design in an ocean of grass. Toward the front porch, there were thin, linear gardens that lined up against the foundation of the porch, flowers like forget-me-nots, lilies and the like. The porch itself was simple and had a bit of an austere vibe to it, with its white, wooden columns and chestnut floor. Walking up the stone steps, they were greeted by two large pots containing lilies and the door with a little tag that read “Welcome!” on a pink background and had paw prints on it. A cute home, they had to admit.

Akira rings the doorbell as Ryo held on to Betty’s leash, all of them waiting for the door to open. With the front door opening, they were happily greeted by Mr. Tanaka and one of their dogs, a tan Shiba Inu who was a fully grown little thing. They knew the dog as Inko.

“Ahhhh, welcome, welcome! My wife is inside touching up on dinner. Come on in!” The older gentleman greeted as he escorted them inside the home. The English Mastiff and the Shiba Inu instantly became well-acquainted with each other, becoming very much excited by each other’s new company.

“Are they here?” Mrs. Yuko called out from the kitchen as she rushed out to see what the commotion was. Her gasp of surprise followed by a quiet squeal of joy was priceless as she came to hug the two young men and provide each with a loving kiss to the temple. 

“Here’s our lovely guests! So glad you could join us!”

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“Absolutely! Now find a spot at the table, I’m just wrapping on the last of it.”

She then got Betty all riled up as she gave a good scratching under her ears. 

“Hello Betty, you’re getting to be a big girl! Have you been good?”

Betty happily barked in reply.

“That’s good to here, I’m sure you keep your owners on their toes!”

“Oh believe us, she does,” Ryo commented as he and Akira sat on one side of the table and Mr. Tanaka came to sit on the other side. Betty and the Shiba Inu were busy playing in the living room, hopping around but not making too much of a ruckus.

“Look at them go. Put Mako in there and you’ll have quite the gathering.”

“Mako?”

“She’s the corgi, and I believe she’s in the kitchen with my wife.”

A “bork” sound came from the kitchen to affirm this fact as Mrs. Yuko brought in the last of the rice, trailed by the corgi in question, Mako, who was a fat, happy little corgi. 

“AAAAnd done!” Mrs. Yuko remarked as she took her place next to her husband.

Soon, the table was laden with an aesthetic feast to behold: a plate of succulent, cooked chicken dressed in a sweet sauce was the centerpiece surrounded by bowls and smaller plates of grilled vegetables and various shiny sauces for the plates of juicy pieces of beef and fish and complete with a small mountain of rice in the corner of the table.

Needless to say, Ryo had to physically keep Akira from attacking the table.

After saying thanks, they waited as Mrs. Yuko filled the bowls with rice and then they all individually took pieces of meat and vegetables from the table to their own plates.

“So how are you boys doing?” Mrs. Yuko asked as she put her plate down on the table after filling it.

“Akira and I are doing well. Betty, too.”

“That's good to hear. You ready for the colder weather?”

“Yes absolutely! I heard it was supposed to be a mild winter this year.”

“I heard that, too, but I hope we get some snow.”

“I hope so. Snow’s pretty when it’s not being difficult and freezes to everything. I don't think Betty has seen snow before but it'll be quite the sight.”

“Oh, that would be cute! Do try to get some pictures if you can!”

“We will, we will. We just recently got her a little sweater to stay warm, it’s so cute!”

“Oh, I bet it is!

They ate quietly, enjoying the food.

“This is really good!” Akira blurted out between bites.

“Ah thank you! I was told you were quite the eater, so it gave me a perfect excuse to cook more.”

“Well, this is quite the feast already,” Ryo remarked.

“Yes it is, but I don't get to do it very often so I had fun putting this together.”

“You ought to have seen the food she gave to me and my coworkers one year for a Christmas party at the factory years ago.” Mr. Tanaka brought up

“Factory?” Akira and Ryo questioned simultaneously.

“Oh yes, I worked as an assembly worker for the Nissan car manufacturer in town for a little over 30 years. Those were some interesting times then. We always got to see the newest models before anyone else because we were the ones assembling it! But every year, in one of the few times we have off, we have a Christmas party to relax and talk about things. A lot of us would bring our family and such and so it was always lively with people. Anyways my wife actually solely made most, if not, all of the food using the money that we had both set aside for several months. Needless to say, we were well treated that night, but they’re all good people anyway.”

“That’s so cool!”

“I have since retired out and have been doing small jobs now and again as my wife still continues to work at the clinic. In fact, that clinic was how we met; I had a dog for many years, a small Spitz named Taki, and for one such visit I just happen to have her as the doctor seeing him. One thing led to another and the rest is history,” Mr. Tanaka concluded with a kiss on his wife's cheek.

They really were just a cute old couple and it actually made Ryo's heart feel all kinds of things because this was the kind of couple that Ryo would like to be with Akira: an old couple with several dogs and a cute little home where they could go to work and help animals feel better and live long happy lives.

He felt Akira gently squeeze his hand under the table and smiled.

“So how did you two become so close?”

“We were first classmates back in elementary school.”

“Oh, that's wonderful!”

“Ryo was quiet and I was just shy. We met through school when we were little and then we started getting the same class for every grade, hanging out more as time progressed. We then started becoming best friends not long after that and we were practically inseparable for a while there. I had to go away to the Makimuras because my parents died in an expedition accident in the South Pole where they were conducting research, so Ryo and I didn't see each other all that much. We then met up one day when I was walking home with Miki and then we were able to get caught up with stuff and get close. When I was able to move out, I was able to get with Ryo and we became able to scrape enough money to get the apartment that we currently have. But yeah, that's us.”

“Ahh, that would explain a lot. You do find quite the friends in school but that's the wonderful thing about it.”

“Yeah.”

They continued eating as the dogs relaxed near the table on top of each other in a warm cuddle pile. It wasn’t long before many dishes were cleared and everyone was full and content with the meal.

“Anyone have room for the dessert?”

They all shook their heads, politely declining the offer, though Ryo requested to have a small container to carry some home, which she happily obliged to. Meanwhile, Akira and Mr. Tanaka relaxed in the living room, Akira gently scratching Betty's back while Mr. Tanaka took his seat in the recliner. 

“So how are things with you and Ryo?”

“We're doing okay for the time being. We almost had a scare the other day because Betty was acting a little weird but we found out that she had just woke up wrong. Shook Ryo up a lot.”

“That happens sometimes. Dogs are funny like that.”

“Yeah. I do have to wonder if he loves Betty more than me. I tease him about it now and again, but he’ll straight up deny it.”

“So how long have you and Ryo been together?”

“For about a year. or so now, which reminds me, our anniversary is coming up.”

“Has it been that long?”

“Yeah, it has, now that I think about it. I wanna do something but I don’t know what to do.”

“Well if you would like a pointer, trying visiting the beach at night. Perhaps a picnic? If the weather gets a little cold, you both can always wrap up in a blanket and gaze at the stars. That’s what I did you with Yuko when we started dating.”

“That might not be a bad idea, though it won’t be a full moon that night. We can watch the sunset, those are always pretty.”

“That’s a good idea as well.”

“I just want Ryo to be happy, and he deserves it. For a while there, he was going through some bout of depression because of some stuff with family and it was hard for the both of us. He’s doing much better though, and I want to do my best to make sure that he’s happy with himself and everything else.”

“That’s good. Yuko tells me that you two keep each other in check.”

“Well, we almost have to. We’re both stubborn so sometimes we have to talk the other down, though sometimes it doesn’t work.”

“We’re all a little stubborn, that’s why the human race has lived as long as it has.”

“That’s true.”

They both sat in content silence as Akira continued to pet Betty, who stirred from her nap and lad her head on his lap, prompting Akira to plant a kiss on her forehead. 

Ryo emerged from the kitchen, small container in hand, and followed by Mrs. Yuko. 

“You ready to head on back home? It’s getting late.”

“Yeah, we should. Thank you for inviting us, though. 

“Yes, thank you! Dinner was lovely.”

“Absolutely! You’re than welcome to join us anytime, so just give us a call and I’ll add some extra plates.”

“Yes ma’am,” They both replied.

“Now you boys be careful driving home.” Mr. Tanaka told them as they gathered on the front porch.

“We will, Mr. Tanaka,” Ryo assured him as he and Akira walked off the porch and walked to the car sitting in the driveway.”

“Have a good night dears!” Mrs. Yuko called out.

“Good night!”

Akira started the car and off they went, down the road to head back home. Ryo had Betty on his lap and the small container of food on top. 

“Well, that was fun! That was nice of them to invite us to dinner.”

“It was, and that food was so goooood.”

“Yes, it was! I have to see how she does it.”

“Maybe try to get something together for Christmas?”

“Yessss, that would be amazing! But yeah, I’m so full from that meal.”

“What exactly is in the container that Mrs. Yuko got you?”

“Nothing much, just some mochi that she made.”

“Haven’t that in a while.”

“Well, it’s homemade and she insisted that we take some. I’m not complaining though.”

“Yeah.”

“We can have them over breakfast,” Akira charmed with a smile.

“Absolutely not! They’re treats, not breakfast food.”

The two of them playfully bickered on the way home under the blanket of a starry night.


	13. Demon Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like a good ol' fashioned demon hunt, amiright?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads-up, some canon-typical violence but nothing too graphic, don't worry

“... and now incoming a special report that is crucial that all hear and listen. Witnesses have claimed that there is a mysterious creature over in the Citizen's Forest that has attacked innocents and murdered them violently. Floods of reports have resulted in the investigation of this mystery monster. It has been advised that all civilians stay away from the forest and surrounding areas until any police report has been filed and it is deemed to be safe…” The radio reporter warned on the radio broadcast as Ryo was washing dishes in the sink. Akira was currently in the bathroom and Betty was lying on the kitchen floor near Ryo’s feet, chilling out. 

“So it looks like we got another hunt for once…” Ryo remarked to himself as he heard the bathroom door open and some footsteps as Akira padded into the kitchen, walking over and wrapping his arms around Ryo’s waist and kiss his cheek, mindful of Betty on the floor. 

“So there’s a “mystery monster” over in the woods?” Akira asked, knowing of the radio broadcast. 

“Yeah, supposedly it’s over in Citizen's Forest in town. They got an investigation over there but so far there’s nothing. 

“Couldn’t hurt to get back into the swing of things, yeah?”

“Yeah, it would be nice. I’ve been itching for a fight for several months now. It’s gotten quiet.”

“Yeah.”

They remained that way for several minutes.

“You know, I can get the rest of it if you wanna go ahead and get changed.”

“Alright. I got most of it already, so it’s not a lot.”

As Akira took up the soap sponge and got to work, Ryo walked to the bedroom and changed into proper attire for the evening, since it would be colder this time of year. He put on a striped sweater and took up his tan boots along with his trenchcoat and headed back to the living room.

“Akira do you want me to grab you a scarf? It’s going to be cold tonight.”

“Please? I’m my own heater but a scarf would be nice. You may have to hold onto it though because I don’t want to accidentally shred it when transforming.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll hold onto it,” Ryo assured him as he pulled out his shotgun from behind the television. Akira was finishing up the last of the dishes as Ryo was checking and restocking the ammunition. Meanwhile, Betty looked on as though she was expecting something. 

After a few minutes, the boys were ready to go as Betty met them at the front door.

“Now, be a good girl and watch the house okay? We’ll right back before you know it!” Ryo told Betty cheerfully as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

They both left the front door and proceeded to their car in the driveway.

_Later_

The Starion pulled up to the entrance building of Hinohara Tokyo Citizen’s Forest, the place deserted like a ghost town for this time of night. They were actually a little surprised that there were no guards or police doing night watches, but that was good news for them as that meant that there was no one around should the fight get out of hand. 

“Ready?”

“Hell yeah, let’s go get ‘em!”

They both got out of the car and they began the long trek on the paved path through the forest. It was really cold this evening, so much so that they could see their visible white breath.

“Akira, do you sense anything?”

“Not yet.”

They continued on the trail, ever cautious of the inevitable attack from a demon. The trees were quiet with a slight rustle of nearby wind breezing through the branches. There wasn’t snow on the ground yet but it wouldn’t be long before snowfall would make an appearance. 

“Wait.” Akira held a hand out in front of Ryo, feeling extremely tense. Ryo braced himself as that meant that something was coming.

They waited on the path, frozen in their position looking around suspiciously for anything to jump out at them. All was silent for a few moments until Akira started to literally growl.

“ _I fucking see you._ ”

They heard wood snap and they turn their heads just they witness a feathery black form whizzing at them with the velocity of a bullet train, aiming for Akira. The boys side-stepped out of the way as the feathery form grabbed at the ground with its bare talons and with great force, turned back around to face them, making lines in the soil. Coming to a complete stop, the feathery wings snapped open to reveal that the demon in question looked like a harpy, with her arms and hands being sleek, black wings and golden talons where her feet were. Her body was covered in black and golden markings and her large almond eyes were wild with the thrill to kill. 

“About time you show up, Devilman!”

Akira’s response was to transform into the aforementioned Devilman, his clothes ripped apart to reveal a towering devil with muscles of steel and a wingspan to rival the Spruce Goose. Ryo readied his shotgun, reveling in the chance to bring about some blood. The demon lunged forward as Akira charged directly at her. The harpy jumped up and roundhoused kicked him at the side of his head with blinding speed. He stumbled a bit but was able to get back on his feet again, but not before the harpy was in his face again and repeatedly kicking into his face and upper chest. It took two gunshots on Ryo’s part to catch her off-guard and get her to quit it. Akira grabbed a leg of hers and proceeded to sling her around before launching her into a nearby tree. 

She quickly recovered, however, and shot bright blue lasers from her eyes, directly at the ground in front of him, near his feet. Akira jumped up and soared through the air to grab her, but the harpy was too quick for him, launching from her position upward to the sky, with Akira following her up. The air battle began like an old-fashioned dogfight, with the two of them flying around, sometimes landing a blow like a scratch or a kick as they bounced off of each other. 

Ryo meanwhile was trying to follow as close as he could to the fight, aiming his gun upward at the harpy at an attempt to shoot her. Most of the time, he was having trouble as the shotgun that he had could only shoot so far and the fight moved constantly before Ryo could make out a target. He saw a chance when a particularly nasty blow was exchanged as he witnessed the harpy slashed Akira’s chest with her talons, causing him to bounce a little.

“My, my, who would’ve thought little ol’ me would actually fight the great Devilman and win.”

“Over our dead bodies, you harlot.” Ryo ribbed as he aimed and didn’t hesitate for a single second as he aimed for the head and shot. 

The bullet ran in an upward diagonal, going through her left cheek and out right above her right temple, blowing up part of her head in the process. She stood in the sky for a moment and Akira and Ryo waited for something to happen.

“... well, it seems that I have some business to attend to me. Pardon me.”

In a flash, she snapped downward and dove almost at the speed of sound in Ryo’s direction. Ryo just managed to get out of the way and fall on his back, still clutching his shotgun, as rocks and debris flew up and formed a thick dust cloud around the area.

“You know, pests like you have no place here.” Her voice threatened as Ryo slowly got up on his feet, “I’m getting a little antsy from your little interruptions. Let’s put a stop to that, shall we?”

Ryo fired his shotgun at her left shoulder, just above where her heart should be, but she kept walking slowly on the path toward his direction. Ryo had officially entered fight-or-flight mode and was internally panicking as to why Akira hadn’t shown up yet. Did something happen to him?

To answer his question, a large object barreled through the trees and smashed into her like a train hitting a car, colliding her into the nearby mound. At the landing, Akira didn’t hesitate to wail hits on her, finishing her off with a final knock to the head. When she stopped breathing, Akira waited a moment for any reaction before watching as the harpy crumbled underneath him leaving behind inconspicuous dust. 

The forest was quiet again, but not before it started to rain. Akira shifted back into his human form as Ryo ran up to him with his shotgun.

“Y-Yikes, first the cold, then the rain. This sucks!” Akira whined as he shivered a little.

“Come on, let’s get back to the car before we get some welcome committee.”

“Yeah.”

They hastened their step at the sound of thunder.

_Sometime later_

“Betty! We’re back!” Ryo cheerfully greeted, completely ignoring the fact that his clothes had some blood on them and Akira was wearing his trenchcoat to hide the wounds he got from battle. 

Betty greeted them both at the door but grew gravely concerned at the horrible state of her owners. After Ryo assured her that they were both okay and that it was just some business to take care of, he ordered Akira to sit on the bed in their bedroom as he grabbed the medical box from one of the kitchen cabinets. Before sitting down on the bed, Akira grabbed a pair of boxers and put them on slowly over his wounded legs. Betty hopped up on the bed and slept by Akira’s side, comforted by his hand petting her gently. Ryo then entered the room and pulled up a nearby chair to sit down in front of Akira to begin treating his wounds.

“Alright, you know the drill. Where does it hurt the worst?” Ryo asked, having gone over the procedure many times before.

“Well for starters, the first place would be here,” Akira answered pointed to the deep three-line scratch on his chest.

Ryo quietly took out the rubbing alcohol, some clean pads, and the gauze, and went right to work cleaning up the blood.

“Let me know if it gets to be too much, so I can stop and give you a breather.”

“Okay. So far, it’s not as bad.”

Ryo then dabbed some rubbing alcohol on a particular spot near his heart, making Akira twitch.

“Nevermind, hold up.”

Ryo took off the cleaning pad and gave Akira a second to get used to the feeling. Betty put her head on Akira’s lap in worry but Akira soothed, saying that it didn’t hurt that badly, he would be okay.

“Ready to go again?”

“Yeah.”

So Ryo continued on with the rubbing alcohol.

Eventually, he managed to get all of the wounds cleaned before he brought out the bandages and gauze to patch them up. 

“I know this is probably a futile task with your ability to regenerate and heal faster than normal.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it! Besides, I think I’m healing faster because of you taking care of me, which I greatly appreciate.”

“I should hope so since I love you too much to let you die.”

“Well, that’s comforting to know.”

“I’m serious!”

“I know, I know, I’m just messing with you. Seriously though, don’t worry. This isn’t useless, I promise.”

“Okay.”

Ryo carefully took his time wrapping the gauze around Akira’s chest, trying not to let himself get too flustered trying to bandage him. Akira’s so cute he could just kiss him right then and there.

Focus, Ryo. You need to finish patching up your boyfriend.

So Ryo got back to work and finished wrapping the gauze around Akira’s chest as he then tried to bandage up some of the smaller wounds on his arms and legs. Getting to his feet, Ryo decided to tease him a bit and tickle the undersides of his foot.

“Don’t…”

Ryo smirked as Akira’s frown was breaking into giggles as he tried to contain himself from Ryo’s little tickle torture. He finally got Ryo to stop as he lightly threatened to kick him, an empty threat as Akira wouldn’t be able to bring himself to actually do that. Ryo stopped and soon Akira was done, all patched up and feeling much better.

“Are you hurt at all?” Akira asked as Ryo got up to put the medical box away.

“I’m alright. I just got spooked but no injuries.”

“You sure?” Akira asked, standing up with a little struggle

“Yes, Akira.”

“Okay, but if I find anything more than a bruise then you’re gonna get it.”

“How so? Whacha gonna do to me?”

“This.” At this, Akira pulled Ryo close to him and planted a kiss on his forehead before locking lips with him. Ryo then kissed back lovingly and they broke apart reluctantly.

“I’m gonna go put this up. Can you walk to the bathroom okay?”

“Ryo, I appreciate the concern, but I’m not an old man. I got this.”

“You sure about that?” Ryo replied smugly.

Ryo ran out of the room with a giggle before Akira could catch him.


	14. A Devilman's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what does Ryo have in mind for Akira's birthday? Akira's about to find out...

Ryo tried to get the rice cooker going for breakfast, quietly so that he didn’t wake the rest of the household up, who was just Akira and Betty, sleeping away on the bed. For the first time in years, Ryo woke up before Akira, but that was only because today's was his boyfriend’s birthday, and by God, if he wasn’t going to try to make the best breakfast that he can with limited cooking skills.

Seeing the rice cooker ready, he took the rice that he had washed and got ready and poured it into the cooker to let it sit for a bit. He then went to the fridge and took out a small, white package. Opening the package flap, he carefully took out the treat with the spatula and placed it on the plate.

The treat was a bunny-shaped cinnamon roll.

Ryo then placed the treat in the microwave to at least heat it up for several seconds. Once done, he eased the plate back out of the microwave and placed the plate back on the counter. He walked back to the rice cooker just as it was about to go off. He pressed the button off just as it was done to prevent it from beeping and waking Akira from his sleep. He took the nearby bowl and filled it with rice, leaving a hole in the center. Ryo went back to the fridge and grabbed an egg, and cracked it open over the hole in the rice, watching it drip golden yolk and sticky whites into the white grain. Ryo then reached for the salt and soy sauce to top it off and mixed the components together to make Tamago Kake Gohan.

Ryo heard a stir in the bed across from the kitchen and looked over to find Akira shifting in his sleep, waking Betty from sleep, who moved from the bed and went to greet Ryo for a good morning. Smiling Ryo knelt down to accept Betty’s good morning kiss, feeling her tongue lick his face.

“Good morning, dear! You gonna help me wake up Akira?”

The puppy smiled, feeling Ryo’s fingers run through her fur and scratch under her ears.

“Let’s go wake him up. Today’s his birthday and we’re gonna make sure he has a good one.”

The puppy barked quietly, making Ryo close her mouth and kiss her forehead. Ryo then put the bowl and the plate with the cinnamon roll on the tray along with a glass of milk and, lifting the tray carefully, he padded over to the bed where he placed the tray on the nightstand and sat on the bed, leaning over Akira and kissing him on the cheek. Ryo laid his head in his arms on top of Akira as he waited for his boyfriend to stir. 

After a few minutes, Akira eventually did as he fluttered his eyes open and turned his head back to see Ryo’s glittering baby-blues and his lovey-dovey, soft smile. Akira smiled back at him and they kissed lovingly as Akira turned on his other side towards Ryo and rose. They broke the kiss, still looking at each other lovingly and Akira situated himself on the bed to better sit up in bed.

“What are you giggling about? I heard some ruckus in the kitchen this morning.”

“Nothing too grand but it was someone’s special day so I figured that I tried to make something for your breakfast,” Ryo told him as he turns and presented Akira with the breakfast tray, proudly beaming at his achievement and Akira’s reaction to the gift.

“Geez, Ryo! For me?”

“Yup! Just for you.” Ryo smiled widely at him, “Eat up! I hope it came out okay.”

Akira took a bite of the egg and rice and gave a hum of contentment, much to Ryo’s surprise.

“Is it good?”

“You kidding me, this is really good! Take a bite,” Akira offered with his chopsticks a piece of the meal. Ryo took the bite and felt the taste of egg and rice on his tongue, actually finding the food to be tasty.

“Oh, this is good,” Ryo remarked, feeling the aftertaste.

Akira nodded and continued with his breakfast meal, wanting to save the cinnamon roll for later. 

Ryo felt his heart become giddy and happy at the thought of Akira being happy; he was a little nervous about the meal considering that he was still learning how to cook and whatnot but he wanted Akira to be happy most of all. Akira being happy made him happy, too, and he had wanted for years to be nothing more than his happy, doting lover with a dog or two and grow into old age together.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Akira asking leaning into him with his arms wrapped loosely around his waist.

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about us is all,” Ryo simply answered.

“What about?”

“Nothing much, just… just us being like this, together and happy. I want to make you happy.”

“I know, and you do, every single day of my life.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. I love you, y’know.”

“I know. Love you, too baby.”

They shared a kiss again, sweet as the last one. There was something about every kiss that made them taste so sugar-sweet and wonderful and Ryo couldn’t describe it but he loved it.

“So are you going to eat your cinnamon roll?”

“Which one?” Akira teased.

Ryo’s face turned red at the thought, and Akira laughed at the successful attempt to flirt with him and make him blush.

“I-I meant your actual cinnamon roll, the one I got you!”

“Just making sure. You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.”

“S-Shut up!” Ryo hid his face in his hands and groaned as Akira laughed quietly, sneaking a kiss and then proceeded to take a stab at the bunny-shaped cinnamon roll. 

A few hours later

“So where is this place that you’re taking me?” Akira asked Ryo as the blonde had the front wheel and was driving through the city to a specific location that he still could not get out of Ryo. 

“We’re almost there, baby. It’s just a few minutes off.”

“Have we been here before?”

“Nope, but you do talk about it.”

“Do I?”

“Yup. You wanted to visit this place and so we’re going.”

Akira spent the next few minutes contemplating what place he may have been talking about, but could not think of what in the world Ryo was talking about. Ryo giggled at the cute grumpy look Akira was sporting and assured him that they would be there shortly. Ryo turned the corner and Akira got the full view of a little building on the corner, a cafe of sorts it appeared.

“We’re here, darling!” Ryo said cheerfully as he parked the car and they both got out.

The cafe was a tiny little place from the outside and didn’t have much decoration besides a familiar rabbit image in the title of the cafe.

Akira audibly gasped as Ryo beamed at his birthday boy of a boyfriend.

“No way…”

“Yup! Happy birthday, dear!”

“Oh my GOD, Ryo you shouldn’t have! I can’t believe…”

“I knew you wanted to for a long time so here we are. Come on!” Ryo urged him as he pulled Akira inside of the bunny cafe.

Entering the establishment, they were greeted with the cheerful front desk receptionist, who got with Ryo to confirm their date and time for their appointment for the day.

“Have a wonderful time!” She excitedly wished them as Akira followed Ryo to their designated spot.

“So what happens now?”

“According to the protocol of the place, they retrieve the bunnies and if we need anything, we have to get one of the employees.”

“Gotcha.”

They both sit down on the stools that were in their assigned spot with a small table between them, with laminated menus for various food items for the bunnies as well as the humans, cutesy little desserts and things. 

An employee came to greet them.

“Hello! Is this our first time?”

“Yep, it is! It’s his birthday and I wanted to treat him well.”

“Wonderful! Hope you’re ready to play some bunnies!”

“Absolutely!”

“Great! I’ll be right back with a couple!”

“Thank you!”

The employee went away to retrieve the bunnies and Ryo could see Akira trying to control himself by putting his hands under his thighs. 

“You good, baby?”

“Yeah, just excited.”

“I can see that.”

Akira took a moment to look around at the place to take it all in; they obviously weren’t the only patrons in attendance but it was cute to see other people enjoy the various rabbits and have a good time. The walls were lined with cute posters and decals of bunnies and there was faint music in the air.

“Ready?”

Akira turned to the source of the voice to find the same employee from before holding a Holland Lop rabbit in her arms.

“This is her first time out today so she’ll be all lively,” The employee told him as she carefully handed Akira the orange opal rabbit to him and he set the rabbit down in his lap. The rabbit didn’t move around much but was still alert and wide-awake at this new environment. Akira was having great difficulty trying to contain his excitement. 

“You good, honey?” Ryo asked as he felt a smaller Lionhead rabbit on his lap.

“I’m trying my absolute hardest not to scream right now,” Akira squealed as he began to pet the bunny. 

“I think that’s obvious.”

“I still can’t believe that you actually took us to this place.”

“So what do you think?”

“You kidding me, I love it!”

“Good.”

“You hungry, little one?” Akira cooed at the rabbit on his lap by feeding her with some of the hay that was provided by the employee, watching the rabbit munch contently.

“So what kind is that one, Akira?”

“This is a Holland Lop, and the color scheme is an orange opal, because of the little spots on her back right here,” Akira explained to Ryo about the rabbit and circling the spots with his finger to show him, “What you have is a Lionhead rabbit, and they’re known for the wild, long fur that they have. Colorwise, that one is Lilac.”

“That’s neat! If I may, what kind of rabbit was Cottontail?”

“Cottontail, if I remember correctly, was a Netherland Dwarf, an orange bunny. He was a tiny thing.”

“I bet,” Ryo told him, hoping the painful memory wouldn’t pop up.

The employee came by to check up on them and to see if they needed anything else.

“Is it possible to order a treat from off of the menu?”

“Absolutely! What would you like to order?”

“Is there anything you’d like, Akira? It’s your birthday after all.”

“Oh, uh… How about this one, Ryo?” Akira questioned, pointing to what looked like a pudding done in the shape of a rabbit’s paw and a little, themed topper.

“That does look good. You want it?”

“Yup!” Akira gave his signature toothy grin.

“So we’re getting the Usagi Pudding?” The employee asked as she wrote the order down.

“Yes please, two orders of it,” Ryo responded as Akira played with the rabbit in his lap.

“Okay! Just a moment, I’ll put the order in! In the meantime, would you like to switch bunnies?”

They both thought a moment before agreeing.

“Alright! While I put the order in, I’ll go grab some babies to play with!”

“Thank you!” They both thanked her as she went on her way.  
They both played with the bunnies in their laps, feeding the rabbits hay and little bits of kale that was available. Ryo discreetly looked up to see his boyfriend giggling quietly and enjoying the rabbit’s company on his lap. It was actually endearing to watch a tough, muscular young man being so cute with a tiny rabbit in his lap. 

“It’s unreal how cute you are.”

“Even when I’m this hunky tough guy who slaughters demons like it’s a job?”

“Absolutely, even more so now than ever.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

“I’m serious!”

“I know you are.”

The employee returned with another worker, who came and brought two new rabbits, a Dutch rabbit, and a Mini Lop this time. As the other coworker was switching out the rabbits, the employee set the pudding treats on the table for them, a little rabbit paw-shaped pudding with tiny sprinkles on top. 

“Ahhhhh look Akira, they’re so cute!”

“Thank you so much!”

“Absolutely! Is there anything else we can do at the moment?”

“Nope!”

Soon they were left alone again as they played with the new bunnies and tried a bite of their pudding, which was really sweet and tasted like strawberries.

“This is really good!”

“I know, right?”

“Oh! While I’m still thinking about it, I have your birthday present! Do you want to open it now, or wait until later?”

“I think it would be best to wait until later at the moment. Don’t wanna disrupt the bunnies.”

“Good idea.”

They then spent the next hour or so hanging out with the bunnies with Akira being in heaven with the furry babies.

Later

“Ready for your present?”

“I am now, what in the world did you get me?”

“Oh, you’ll see!” Ryo bubbled as he gave a gift bag to Akira.

Akira opened the tiny green gift bag, knowing that Ryo can’t wrap actual presents to save his life, and the bag revealed a long, cashmere scarf that was striped baby blue and ocean blue with little tassels at the ends.

“What do you think? Is it soft?”

“Babe, I love it! Where did you find this?”

“Well, I was walking Betty around in the park and we passed by a shop that had that scarf on full display. Betty helped picked it out.” Ryo winked at him.

“Well, there has always been a trick that I’ve wanted to try.”

“What’s that?” Ryo asked as Akira through the scarf behind Ryo and pulled him in for a kiss.

How classic.


	15. A Dog's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's interesting how a dog views the world

_Woof._

Hello.

I am Betty.

I am a dog, a good dog.

I am a good girl!

My owners are sleeping at the moment but they will be up soon. It’s almost time for work! Well, for them anyway.

It’s quiet.

There’s a bird outside chirping. It sounds so pretty.

Someone moved.

Are they waking?

I want to woof.

I must woof to greet them!

No.

Wait.

False alarm, it is not time yet.

They just moved in their sleep.

Back to sleep, I suppose. 

It’s quiet here.

It’s so warm.

My owners are warm and they love me very much.

They make me happy!

They moved again.

Are they waking up this time?

One of them is.

It’s Dad!

He’s awake I think, his eyes are open.

“Morning Betty.”

He is awake! I want to woof! But I must not awake the other one. He does not like mornings.

“Sleep well?” He pets under my ear. I smack my tail. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Indeed, I did.

“We gotta get up in a bit, but we can sleep for a little longer. We have to get back to work today.”

We go to work today. I get to see friends today!

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

Phone?

Is it the phone?

He is getting up from bed to get it.

I must see what is going on.

I will sit here in this kitchen.

What is it?

“Hello? This is Akira speaking… Good morning, Mr. Tanaka, what- is something wrong?... She fell?... S-Sir, please calm down, what happened…?”

I hear the bed move.

I turn around.

It is my other owner, Papa.

He looks worried.

“Akira, what’s wrong? What happened?”

He’s walking to him.

What is going on?

Why are they worried?

Did something happen?

“Are you at the house right now? Do you need us to get over there?... We’ll be over right away. Have you called someone?... Okay, good, we might get there when they do. We’ll be right over.”

He puts phone away.

“Akira, what’s going on?”

“Mrs. Yuko fell down this morning and she won’t get up. Mr. Tanaka tried to wake her up, but nothing works.”

“Oh my God, did he call an ambulance or something!?”

“He already did, and they’ll most likely be there when we get there. We gotta get moving.”

“I hope they’re alright.”

I’m scared now.

Something has happened.

Something not good.

No good at all!

Something has happened to Gramma.

They’re both all over the place.

Grabbing this. Grabbing that. 

What is this commotion?

I am very worried myself.

_Later_

We are in the car.

We’re driving somewhere.

The car is quiet.

Dad is driving this time.

I’m in Papa’s lap and he’s holding me.

They’re both worried.

I see houses go by.

We slow down.

“We’re here.”

Dad turns off the car and we fly out the car.

They’re running up the steps.

Dad bangs on the door.

I hear something loud.

“That must be the ambulance.”

What’s going on?

I’m scared, very scared!

“It’s okay, baby, it’s gonna be alright. Mrs. Yuko just fell over, but I’m sure that she’s gonna be okay.”

I’m still worried. Papa is trying but he is worried, too.

“Thank God, you’re here.”

It’s Grandpa!

“I was able to at least put her into the closest chair, but she hasn’t woken up!”

“Don’t worry the ambulance is here. It’s going to be okay, sir, but you need to breathe.”

Papa is trying to calm Grandpa. Dad is inside the house.

I stay by Papa and sit.

Who are these people that come?

Who are they?

Have they come to take Gramma away?

“Where is she?”

“She’s in here. She’s sitting in the chair.”

I follow Papa.

Dad is next to Gramma.

The unknown people enter.

They go to Gramma and they hold her up.

“We'll take it from here.”

Grandpa is talking to one of them.

What to do?

“Akira, what do you want to do?”

“Let's see what Mr. Tanaka wants to do. I think we should at least be with him until he can get settled at the hospital.”

Grandpa comes over to us.

He is sad.

Don't be sad!

Where are my other friends?

Are they hiding somewhere?

“Mr. Tanaka, are you going to be alright? Is there anything we need or can do?”

“I don’t think there is much at this point. I’ll go with the ambulance. You boys ought to get to work.”

“Yes, but, you’re not okay. At least let Akira and I accompany you to the hospital. We can call out and join you until you get something.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Mr. Tanaka, please let us stay with you until your family gets here. You do have your son and his wife that could come at least.”

“That’s true. Alright, I’ll let you come with me for the time being.”

“Thank you. Is there a phone somewhere that one of us could call the clinic to let them know?”

“Yes, it is in the kitchen by the sink.”

Dad left to the kitchen. Papa and Grandpa Tanaka

“It does provide a little comfort knowing that you two are here.”

“We wouldn’t abandon you, especially like this.”

“Thank you both.”

“Of course!”

I rest by Grandpa’s feet.

I feel his hand on my back.

“Hello there, Betty. You’re probably all confused about the commotion.”

I sure am.

“It’ll be alright. Yuko just fell and it knocked her out for a bit. But she’s strong, she’ll get through it.”

“She will. You wouldn’t go down without a fight like that.”

I am still worried.

Is Gramma going to be okay?

I feel Papa’s hand.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s alright.”

“I bet she’s worried.”

“Yeah. We all are.”

I hear footsteps. It’s Dad.

“Alright, I gave them a call. They said not to worry about it and that everyone sends their best wishes.”

“That’s very comforting.”

One of the unknown people is back.

“Sir, we have your wife all loaded up. Would you like to come with us?”

“Yes, please. Are you boys following behind?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay.”

Everyone is getting up and walking out.

I follow Dad and Papa outside and back into the car.

Everything will be okay.

I think.


	16. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfort comes in many forms but is always needed regardless

They got to the hospital, following the ambulance to the emergency care section of the hospital. As the ambulance was unloading, Akira went into the conjoined parking lot and quickly parked in the first parking spot that he saw.

“Let’s go, Betty!” Ryo called out to Betty as he got her leash on.

All three dashed to the entrance of emergency care, their worry through the ceiling.

“We need to find Mr. Tanaka first. We have to make sure that he’s okay above all.”

They managed to reach the double doors of emergency care, even reaching to catch the gurney that carried Mrs. Yuko. They caught up with Mr. Tanaka, standing there as he watched the medical staff take his wife to be stabilized. 

“Mr. Tanaka, are you okay?” Akira asked.

“I’ll be alright, but they took Mrs. Yuko to be stabilized. I don’t know how long they will be.”

“It would be advised that we sit down and catch a breather before we do anything,” Ryo suggested, noting the waiting area next to the front desk. So they guided Mr. Tanaka to sit down with Betty sitting by Mr. Tanaka’s legs, also as though she was one of those support dogs that one sees now and again and Akira sat on his left, Ryo on the right of Akira. 

The waiting room was small with only several rows of about four or five chairs each. Other people were waiting for various reasons: family members waiting on news, others in casts and bandages, and so on. There was a certain scent in the air that smelled faintly of Lysol and lavender. There were nurses scurrying about either carrying medications to the hundreds of rooms in the facility or filling out various forms of paperwork about patients. The gray, linoleum tile floors had occasional skid marks from the gurneys, wheelchairs or other modes of the hospital.

Despite the attempts in color in the form of fake flowers in vases on the tables that separated the rows of chairs, there was nothing homely about this place at all. 

In an attempt to comfort him, Akira held Mr. Tanaka’s hand and squeezed his hand to assure him that he, Ryo and Betty were right there with him in case he needed anything. 

“Thank you, Akira.”

Akira smiled at him before a nurse came up to them with a clipboard.

“Hello, did we just get here? If so, I need you to sign out the following form for records, sir.”

“Very well,” Mr. Tanaka took the clipboard and began to fill out the form with the necessary information. Betty still remained at his feet, unmoved since they got here. 

“Are these gentlemen that are present, family?” The nurse asked, referring to Akira and Ryo.

They were both about to respond but Mr. Tanaka was faster.

“They may not be my biological sons, but they’ve done much for my wife and me, so we unofficially adopted them. To answer your question, yes, they are,” Mr. Tanaka smiled for the first time that morning as he said this.

Akira and Ryo both were pleasantly surprised by this comment, though it did provide a little happiness that Mr. Tanaka and Mrs. Yuko believed that they were such to them.

After a few minutes, Mr. Tanaka finished filling out the form and gave it back to the nurse.

“Thank you so much! We will let you know immediately when we have her stabilized. The cafeteria is open to guests and you are more than welcome to walk the gardens in the other wing.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, is your dog trained?”

“Yes, she is. She will respond to basic commands. Why?” Ryo answered, curiously.

“Well normally, we don’t allow pets in the hospital for allergy and other health reasons, but if she behaves, she can stay here. We have a special vest for emotional support animals so that she can provide comfort should something happen.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

The nurse scurried on her way to deliver her papers and to retrieve the aforementioned vest.

“Won’t we get in trouble for lying if Betty does something and someone catches us?” Akira leaned over to Ryo, asking.

“With Betty? That’s a good question, but we have nowhere to put her and I’m not going to leave her outside by herself with a leash strapped to a pole. Besides, we trained her, remember?”

“I know, but still…”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. There were a few occasions that Betty had to play the role of emotional support, so she understands.”

“Let’s hope so.”

So they waited, watching the medical staff do their job as they walked by. People came and went, whether by walking, speed walking, or they were strapped to a stretcher being hauled to who-knows-where. There wasn’t any form of music playing anywhere, at least not what anyone could hear with all of the conversations between staff and what not.

The nurse did come back with a solid, red vest that read “SUPPORT” on the sides. She took a moment to put Betty into it, with Betty not caring a single bit as Ryo instructed her to stay still. With the vest officially on her, the nurse instructed them to be mindful of Betty since she was their full responsibility, which they knew. The nurse then told them that Mrs. Yuko was able to be stabilized and that she would call them back once it was safe to do so.

“Oh, thank goodness! After everything that’s happened, that’s a relief.”

“I can imagine the stress you all may have, but I assure you that we will do the best that we can to make sure that everything's alright.”

“That’s all we can ask for.”

“Perhaps a walk in the garden to help clear your head would help some?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“The way is to go down straight that hallway, and then at the very end, you’ll see an exit with a small hallway to your left. Follow that little hallway and it will take you right outside into the gardens.”

“Thank you.”

“Absolutely!”

The three men and Betty go up from their sitting positions and they went down the hall following the path that the nurse had told them.

The hallway was fairly empty for such a large hospital but they weren’t complaining. Their shoes squeaked on the floor as they walked past the rooms. Some doors were shut but some were open with a full view of the patients that were there. It sent a chill down Ryo’s spine, as it reminded him of the time that he was in a place like this, only in a different hospital in town. Seeing some of the patients in slings and gauze with tubes hooked under the skin made him uncomfortable.

“Ryo, you alright?” Akira whispered, concerned.

“I’m fine, just anxious for some reason” Ryo replied.

“It’s almost like the last time we were here when you were knocked out cold and I had to carry you here.” 

“Oh, I remember that,” Ryo recollected on the craziness of the memory.

“What’s that?” Mr. Tanaka asked, curious.

Akira and Ryo stopped dead in their tracks. Did he hear them?

“Sorry?”

“You were in the emergency room recently, too?”

“Yeah, that was a long story…”

“I got caught up in a fight at a party and got knocked out,” Ryo coolly explained.

Well, that was one way to describe what happened.

“Ah, I remember those days as a young man. I once got into a bar fight with another fellow who was picking on a girl. We smashed bottles and threw fists, sending hooks all around. The next thing I knew, I was on a stretcher with a broken nose and a black eye. That was right before I met Yuko, too. Other than that, it was a grand old time.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Oh, it was. Of course, I don’t do it much anymore with getting old and all, but every now and then, I want to get into a fight just for the hell of it.”

There was something in the way Mr. Tanaka said that.

Something comforting. 

They rounded the corner to the little hallway and soon they were outside in one of the prettiest gardens seen in a long time. In the air, some white flurries of something were falling gently down on the ground, littering the ground with little white dots.

Wait… is it snowing?

“Finally, some snowfall for the season.”

The snowflakes were pretty to look at as they all walked on the cobblestone path to the rectangular area with the borders being trimmed bushes all around except for a few openings. There were two stone benches that sat across from each other and a stone fountain in the center of the area, turned off because of the cold weather. It was a spacious environment and it had a certain feeling of peace to it. 

“It’s so big!” Akira noted as they entered the area.

“It would be good for Betty to run around a bit, though we don’t have any toys for her.”

“That’s alright, we were busy trying to get out the door this morning.”

“That’s true.”

Ryo then let Betty lose to for her to run around the garden, which she took an immediate liking to as she then proceeded to run along the hedge borders. Akira helped Mr. Tanaka sit down on the nearest stone bench for him to sit down. 

“It’s nice and crisp outside today.”

“It is! It would be a nice day to stroll around town and see all of the Christmas decorations.”

“It would be.”

They both watched Ryo play with Betty on the far side of the garden, Akira being able to see him happy and laughing with Betty as they chased each other about. It made Akira’s heart warm seeing his boyfriend being cheerful, especially with everything that happened this morning. Ryo really was adorable, no matter how many times he may deny it.

“Everything between you two still good?”

“Yes sir, they are.”

“That’s good to hear. You two really do go together, and it’s good that you both keep each other in check.”

“Yeah, you could say that. With everything Ryo’s gone through, I don’t want him to worry or be scared. People used to think that he was just this aloof, distant guy that didn’t want anything to do with anyone. In reality, he was just scared and alone a lot, and just wanted to talk to people without worrying about their ulterior motives. But he’s doing better though, and it makes me feel better seeing that he is.”

“I noticed that from the first time that I met you two through Yuko. Ryo did come off as a rather shy one.”

“Yeah. That’s what makes him kinda cute, though.”

“He wasn’t the only one who’s grown up. You have, too.”

“Me?” Akira questioned, pointing to himself.

“You have. You’ve gotten stronger since we first met and you weren’t as afraid as before. You’ve gotten more assertive, but not so much so that you’re arrogant, which is good.”

Come to think of it, Mr. Tanaka was kind of right. When he and Ryo first joined the clinic, he was on the edge of a nervous wreck and Ryo, well, wasn’t very social. But as time grew on, they both grew up in different ways.

Growing up is funny that way.

They all remained in the park for a few more minutes before the weather got colder and they had to head inside. So they did, walking back to the waiting room before the doctor called them and told them that Mrs. Yuko was alright but she would need to stay there for the next few days to make sure everything was still good. When the doctor offered to take them back to see her, they didn’t hesitate a moment as they walked through the double doors and into another hallway to see her. This hall was busier than the other one that led to the garden.

They all stopped at Room 113, with the doctor leading them into the room.

“Now although she is stabilized, her focus may not entirely be there and she is fatigued so take extra precaution when talking to her.”

“Thank you for your work.”

“We do the best we can and we will continue to do so.”

Mr. Tanaka was the first to enter the room and, upon seeing his wife in the hospital bed with several tubes in her arms, didn’t waste a moment to practically run to his wife. Akira and Ryo followed suit, both of them trying not to get their eyes misty, Ryo having a harder time than Akira. 

_Later that evening_

The Starion pulled up into the driveway as night fell, the temperature continuing to drop from this morning. Akira, Ryo, and Betty all stumbled out of the car and into the house, shivering as they walked in with Ryo latching himself onto Akira for warmth. They then had a quiet supper but Akira started to notice something off with Ryo, like something heavy on his mind. He appeared depressed all through dinner and he didn’t talk when they had their bath like normal. Akira tried everything to make him feel better, but nothing worked. He finally figured that what happened at the hospital was on his mind and so he gently reminded Ryo if he needed anything that he was there. Ryo took the consideration in mind and quietly thanked him as they both got ready for bed and soon fell asleep, Ryo up against his chest and with Akira’s arms around his chest and waist.

It wasn’t long into the night when Akira’s hearing picked up something next to him that sounded like… sniffling?

Akira sat up a little to see where the noise was coming from and he looked over next to find the source of the sound. Betty stirred from her sleep but didn't move much as she was curious to what was going on.

It was coming from Ryo. He was quietly crying in his pillow, his face away from view. 

Akira immediately grew worried as he sat up and placed a gentle hand on his left shoulder. His boyfriend was crying and it was breaking his heart.

“Ryo? Angel?”

Ryo hesitated a moment before slowly turning his head and then the rest of his body to face Akira, who got a view of his puffy, red face and his glistening tears. The mere sight shattered his heart even more.

“Oh, babe…” Akira breathed as he reached down to tenderly kiss his forehead while he stroked Ryo’s cheek. 

Akira then pulled Ryo into him in a tight, loving embrace and Ryo’s waterworks finally just burst. Akira can feel the tears on his skin as well as any snot and drool Ryo was producing, uncaring about it all except for who he was holding in arms right now.

“It’s alright, shhhh, it’s okay, just cry it all out,” Akira tried to soothe, though he wasn’t far off from bursting into tears as well. Akira tried rubbing his back affectionately and planted a kiss in every spot of Ryo’s head, patiently waiting for Ryo calm down and breathe. Betty crawled up to the two of them and laid on top of the two of them, snuggling in and being there for emotional support.

Akira then had an idea.

Akira sat up in bed, Betty moving a little out of the way, and after climbing out of it, he turned and bent down to scoop Ryo up in his arms like a bride, cradling him as best as he could. Ryo laid his head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Akira’s neck, still sniffling a little.

“Let’s walk around a bit,” Akira soothed as he started to slowly walk around the apartment, still cradling Ryo like a baby and laying soft kisses on his head.

They first walked around the kitchen, then into the living room and then back to their bedroom, where Betty was watching them both. 

“... A-Akira?” Ryo spoke for the first time that evening in a little voice.

“Hm? Yes, angel?”

“Can we stay like this for a little longer, if you don’t mind?”

“Mmhmm,” Akira replied before placing a soft kiss on his forehead, “Do you feel a little better?”

“A-A little bit… I’m sorry for getting emotional like that out of nowhere.”

“It’s okay. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Well… I couldn’t sleep b-because I thought of something a-and I got scared. I thought about… seeing Mrs. Yuko and Mr. Tanaka in that hospital room.”

Ryo took a deep breath before resuming, trying to keep himself from crying again. 

“I thought about how one day… that could be us.”

Ryo was right. That could be them down the road in their old age in the remaining months of their lives. As short life seemed to be, it was also still a long way off. Still, it was something to think about, at least for a little bit.

“Was that why you were so depressed earlier?”

Ryo nodded quietly before reaching up a little to nuzzle up against Akira’s face.

“It’s gonna be okay Ryo. No matter what happens, I’ll stay by your side no matter what. I’ll never abandon you when you’re in trouble and I love you through thick and thin. I’ll always be right here, even to the very end and beyond. Okay?”

Ryo nodded and hum in approval.

“I love you,” Ryo whispered, his voice muffled in Akira’s neck.

“I love you, too.”


	17. Christmas Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's fun doing some holiday shopping with your significant other <3

The mall was rather crowded as holiday shoppers scrambled about, picking up gifts and decorations for the big holiday. In the midst of it all, Akira and Ryo were holding hands and admiring the decorations that the mall had put up for the season. Betty’s collar was held by Ryo and she was as lively as a dog like her could be.

“Oh! Check those out, Akira!” Ryo pointed to the festive plants like poinsettias that one store had on full display. Ryo had mentioned that he would like to add some plants like that around the house to add to the festive nature.

“You wanna get a few small ones?”

“Yeah, that probably would be best. I don’t think we have the space for a super big one plus I don’t want Betty to accidentally try to eat it.”

“Whatever you would like to do, angel,” Akira snuck a kiss before following his boyfriend inside the store.

The store was lively with its own share of Christmas spirit with red and green paper chains draped all around the store, the faint seasonal Christmas music in the background clashing with the general noisiness of other shoppers, and even the shelves and tables were decorated accordingly.

“Hello! Thank you for stopping in! Are we looking for anything in particular today?” A sales associate stopped to greet them as they walked in.

“We’re fine, thanks. Just looking around is all,” Akira calmly answered.

“That’s alright! Take your time, we have our annual Christmas sale of everything 25% off just for today!”

“Thank you,” Ryo told her as she walked away with a hop in her step.

“Well, that’s neat. Maybe we can what kind of ornaments they have and maybe give one to Mrs. Yuko and Mr. Tanaka?”

“I like that idea! That would bring some cheer to them in them in the hospital.” So their first stop was in the ornament section to see what was on display.

To their amazement, they realized that there were easily hundreds of ornaments on two aisles on both sides, all kinds of themes and colors to pick from.

It almost felt like it would take an hour to look at them all. 

Akira casually looked over at Ryo to see his eyes glittering like a kid in a candy store.

“Ryo? You good there, angel?”

Ryo snapped out of his stupor upon hearing Akira’s voice.

“Sorry, just got distracted.”

“You’re so cute.”

“Oh, stopppp…” Ryo groaned, blushing. 

Akira chuckled quietly as Betty started to pull on her leash.

“What do you see, dear?” Ryo asked the dog as Betty pulled him gently to an ornament toward the bottom that looked like a bone with a glittery red ribbon on the front.

“Figures she was going to gravitate toward that.”

“Careful Betty, we don’t want to break it accidentally,” Ryo pulled her leash back to keep her from trying to mess with the ornaments.

“Check this out, Ryo” Akira mentioned.

Ryo turned his attention to Akira to see in his hand, a cute little snowman with a coal smile and a top hat. Akira had the joy to witness Ryo’s face light up brighter than the brightest Christmas tree.

“Ahhhhhhh, that’s adorable, I love it!” Ryo swooned as he carefully took the ornament from Akira’s hand to get a better look at it. 

“You wanna get it?”

“Please? It’s super cute!”

“Okay!” Akira gave him a soft smile, one that made Ryo want to melt into a happy puddle right there. 

“So we have the bone one for Betty and the snowman one for me. Which one are you getting Akira?”

Akira slowly eyed all of the choices on the rack, walking to the end of the aisle examining every single one. It took him a few minutes before he reached out to get something. Ryo walked over to him to see what he got.

The ornament was a rabbit standing on its hind legs and wearing an oversized Christmas hat.

“Oh, that looks cute, dear! You should get that one,” Ryo recommended.

Akira thought it over for a moment before affirming his decision by tightening his grip on the ornament.

“We have to get one for Mrs. Yuko and Mr. Tanaka, too.”

“Would these work?” Ryo held up an ornament with a corgi and a Shiba Inu, both their collars all fancy.

“Oh, they’d love those! Let’s get these and I’ll see if we can get a small cart or something.”

“That would definitely be advisable, considering that we’ll be getting other things, too.”

With Akira on his way and looking for a place that housed carts, Ryo took Betty and went into the next aisle to find all kinds of holiday-themed baking stuff. Ryo hadn’t thought about it but he had wanted to make Christmas cookies with Akira since they got together, so he started to look over all of the baking tools. A bin of Christmas cookie cutouts caught his eye and so he excitedly began to dig through it to find some shapes. Some of the shapes he chose included a tree, a gingerbread man, a star and a heart, the last of which he really wanted personally. Taking his chosen shapes in his free hand, he glanced over the other supplies.

“There you are!” Akira walked up to greet him, carrying a small cart with the ornaments inside, “Whatcha doing over here?”

“O-Oh, nothing, I just got caught up in the baking stuff.”

“What’s in your hand?”

“Some cookie cutouts. I would like to try, keyword “try”, to make some Christmas cookies this year.”

“We can do that, though that’s gonna be interesting. I tried making cookies with Miki last year and she almost killed me after I accidentally burned a batch.”

“Oh dear, well at least we’re both in the same boat.”

“I might be able to borrow Miki’s recipe this year if she’ll let me.”

“Let’s hope she does because I haven’t attempted cookies like that in years. Speaking of Miki, how is she and her family? Have you had a chance to talk to them?”

“I did a few days ago. She’s doing alright. The Makimuras were getting the house ready, which reminds me, they asked if we were coming over for Christmas dinner.”

“I don’t mind, but they’re okay with it? Even Miki?”

“She was surprisingly cool about it. It would be nice though, and you probably haven’t celebrated Christmas in a while like that, have you?”

Ryo shook his head; before he got with Akira, his last few Christmases had been rather lonely affairs with not much happening. This would be his first actual Christmas in a long time and with the love of his life, which made his heart a little happier.

“Ryo, you okay? I didn’t accidentally dampen the mood, did I?”

“Don’t worry darling, I’m alright. I’m actually kind of excited because I get to actually enjoy Christmas for the first time in several years. Even better, I get to enjoy Christmas with you and that alone makes me very happy,” Ryo smiled softly at him.

Akira smiled back, seeing his boyfriend’s face cheer up with a cute smile.

“We still gotta get some shopping done. Wanna go look at some house decorations?”

Upon being asked, Ryo’s blues lit up again and he nodded happily.

God, he’s so freaking cute.

Sneaking his hand into his, Akira led Ryo across the store to see various decor from festive poinsettias to fancy candle pieces.

“Do we have a wreath for the front door?”

“No, but we can get a small one. How about this one?” Akira asked as he pointed to one that brightly colored ornaments all around the wreath.

“I want to go a little simpler, like this one,” Ryo pointed to a plain one that had a large red bow on the bottom.

“Oh okay, that’s neat!”

So Akira put the wreath into the cart.

“Anything else of interest?”

“Not in here, but I want to try and get some candles.”

“Can we also find some ugly Christmas sweaters?”

“What’s Christmas without ugly Christmas sweaters, of course!”

It was Akira’s turn for his face to light up; every year without fail, he would always have an ugly sweater contest with Miki and Tare, who were competitive from the word go. Ryo was well aware of the trend and wanted in on it, so it became a tag-team battle of ugly Christmas sweaters to outdo each other.

Going toward the back corner near the cashier’s counter, there was a section of candles in colorful waxes and luscious scents. Ryo took his time examining what was available, lifting the lid and sniffing promising ones.

“Smell this one Akira.”

Akira did, greeted by the smell of something sweet.

“I like it. What’s that one called?”

“‘Christmas Cookies’. It fits the title. Wanna smell it, Betty?” Ryo asked Betty, lowering the candle down for her to sniff it.

“Here’s one that says ‘Winter Wonderland’. Let’s see about this one.”

Akira sniffled it and scrunched his face up, making Ryo laugh.

“What’s it smell like?”

“I don’t know, but it smells really odd.”

“Oh you’re right, it does. Put that one back.”

They sniffed a few more before agreeing on ‘Christmas Cookies’ and one called ‘Evergreen Pines’.

They walked to the counter to pay for the things, Betty waiting patiently by Ryo’s side.

“It’s not as crowded in here as I thought it would be.”

“I noticed that, too, but it could also be late in the afternoon. Most people might be out elsewhere or at home.”

“Yeah.”

Grabbing the bags of Christmas items, they exit the store and pass a small cafe.

“Wanna grab something from here before we go on?”

“That would be nice.”

They entered the cafe and were greeted with warmth that was enough to take their winter coats off.

“I’m feeling for hot chocolate, what do you want?”

“Hot chocolate sounds really good right now, actually.”

So they walked up to order and told the employee what they wanted.

“Would you like to add a cinnamon roll to the orders?”

Akira looked at Ryo, who responded with a “yes” and paid the employee accordingly. As their orders were being made, they sat by the cafe storefront window, looking out onto the street. Cars drove by and holiday shoppers were walking around, some with presents, some with small children and some holding hands. The streetlights were glowing with string lights and bows and the hubbub of the cafe along with the noise of the street outside provided a cozy mood.

The employee then came by with their orders and left them be with a smile, leaving the boyfriends to enjoy the hot chocolate and cinnamon roll.

“Holy crap, this cinnamon roll’s really good.”

“You’re a cinnamon roll, angel”, Akira tried to be suave saying that.

As corny as that was, it was still enough to make Ryo blush as hard as the red cup of hot chocolate.

“Stoppppp…”

“Nope.”

“Why you gotta tease me like that?”

“Because I love you and it’s fun.”

This prompted Ryo to make incoherent embarrassed noises as he looked away, hearing Akira laugh quietly before reaching for his hand and kissing it softly.

All Akira wants for Christmas to spoil the everloving crap out of Ryo.


	18. Final Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all makes sense now...

Several weeks had gone by, and Mrs. Yuko’s condition didn’t improve or decline much. She was still able to talk and such, but she always appeared fatigued and she had lost a lot of weight, which was greatly concerning. Mr. Tanaka had been with her as much as possible and he looked more exhausted with every visit. More symptoms began to show up, such as constant loss of appetite. 

Then one day, everything made sense.

It was toward the early evening when Akira and Ryo stopped by after their shift at work. They had been coming to see how they were doing every so often that they could to see if anything changed.

As they walked down the hall, Ryo was carrying a small vase filled with pretty, purple pansies. The hall was a tad emptier than normal and the place almost felt dead. He followed close behind Akira as they neared the chosen door of the room.

Room 811.

Akira knocks on the door.

“Who is it?” A voice called from the other side.

“It's us.” Akira answered.

“Come on in.”

Akira opened the door to see them at the bed with Mr. Tanaka by Mrs. Yuko's side. Mrs. Yuko in a more disheveled state since they last time to the point that it was heartbreaking. 

“Hey boys.”

“How are you holding up?”

“Well, I'm still alive.”

“Yeah. When's the doctor supposed to be here.”

“In a few minutes. They had to get some paperwork together and make sure the results are correct.”

“There's chairs if you both wanna sit down.”

Akira pulls up a nearby chair for Ryo to sit down in as he takes the pansies and places them on the counter by Mrs. Yuko's bed. 

“The flowers is beautiful. Are they pansies?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Ryo responded.

“I didn't know they grew this time of year.”

“There was a florist in town that had a greenhouse with all kinds of nice flowers in it.”

“Ah, that sounds wonderful. Where's Betty?”

“She's at the clinic at the moment. She had to get a check-up done.”

“Ah, I see. She's doing well?”

“She is! She's as lazy as she can be, but she's healthy.”

“That's good. Dogs like her need as much exercise as possible to prevent joint problems down the road.”

“We take her on walks through the park at the park in the city. She's popular with children.”

“Oh, I bet. With a sweetheart like her, it doesn't surprise me. She gets all kinds of attention, too.”

“Indeed she does.”

There was a knock on the door. Akira went to go get it and opened the door to reveal a doctor, a young man with spectacles.

“Yoshida Yuko?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good afternoon! How are we doing today?”

“Well, I'm still and kicking, that I know for sure.”

“So I see,” The doctor laughed quietly.

“Boys, this is Dr. Ito.”

“Nice to meet you both. Are you two related to them?”

“Well, sort of.”

“They're our adopted sons,” Mr. Tanaka interjected, “Not officially but they've been very kind to my wife and I, so we unofficially adopted them.”

“Ah, very nice, very nice indeed. Well, Mrs. Yuko, I have the results together for the diagnosis.”

The air in the room suddenly felt stagnant, like all of the life had been sucked out of it. Ryo in particular felt this overwhelming sense of dread and snuck his hand into Akira's.

“Upon research into the matter, we have found that there is one conclusion.”

Doctor Ito took a breath.

“Mrs. Yuko, you have cancer, ovarian cancer specifically.”

Cancer.

It was cancer.

The room got dead quiet. Akira snuck a look at Ryo to find his boyfriend was as white as a sheet.

“What we found in the blood work as well as other tests, it appears to be aggressive. We will have to start chemo treatments…”

Ryo looked like he was ready to cry and Akira squeezed his hand. 

“You okay?” Akira whispered, very worried.

Ryo didn't say anything as he was more worried about trying to keep his emotions in.

“Do we need to leave for a minute?”

“Not yet.”

“-I'm sorry you had to hear this.”

“It's alright, we'll make it work.” Mrs. Yuko assured the doctor.

The doctor updated the status sheet at the foot of the bed and then left, leaving the room emptier than it already was. Nobody budged from their positions.

Ryo was the first one to move, his emotions finally getting the better of him.

“Oh no, what’s the matter?” Mrs. Yuko weakly raised her arms to Ryo as he rested his arms on the edge of the bed. 

Ryo didn’t say anything but lowered his head into the sheets with muffled sobs being heard quietly.

It took him a minute to recover well enough to speak.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m just… scared, is all. M-My mother died from the same thing and it brings all kinds of… of memories back…”

“Oh honey…”

Mrs. Yuko took Ryo up and weakly cradled him, humming a lullaby to help calm him down.

Akira wasn’t far off from tears himself.

As the weeks go on, with each passing day, her health continued to deteriorate. She tried to keep a cheerful face, but it was becoming increasingly harder to believe it. There were several times that Ryo exited the room only for him to be found in the hallway bawling his eyes out. The reports with each test seemed to be more grim than the last.

Although the chemotherapy treatment was doing its job, the cancer would never go away completely. The treatments was causing her to be even more fatigued than before and she was already starting to lose hair. 

To make the whole thing even more depressing there was a possibility that she wouldn't make it til Christmas.

During a visit, Akira and Ryo came to visit them as usual, though there was something on Akira's mind that he wanted to tell them but keep secret from Ryo. 

It had something to do with what was in his pocket…

“We're back!” Akira greeted.

“Hello boys! How are you both? C'mere, I want a hug,” Mrs. Yuko greeted back as she received a warm hug from the two of them. 

“So how are things?”

“Well, we got word that the cancer has appeared to stop spreading. Considering how fast it progressed before, this is a good thing.”

“That is good. Hopefully it will reverse itself.”

“Us as well.”

“Oh! We forgot about getting the gifts from the backseat. I can go get them!” Ryo remembered before running out the door to get them.

“Gifts?” Mr. Tanaka asked, confused.

“Yeah, with it being almost Christmas and all.”

“You both didn't have to do that, how sweet of you!”

“We wanted to because we care about you both very much. Also with Ryo gone, I have a secret.”

“A secret?”

Akira fumbled in his coat pocket to grab a small box the size of his palm. They had a vague understanding of what he was about to tell them, but they were still intrigued.

“Is that what we think it is?”

Akira opened the box to confirm their question.

Inside was a silver ring with a diamond centerpiece and scroll patterns into the metal.

“We’ve been dating for a while, and I thought it over and I wanted us to be official. To be straight with you, I want to marry Ryo and make him my husband.”

To say that they were ecstatic was an understatement. They both reached over to hug him, congratulating him. 

“We're so proud of you boys.”

“Oh, he'll be so excited.”

“I wanna keep it a surprise from him until the time is right.”

“Don't worry, our lips are sealed.”

Akira immediately put the box back into his pocket to keep his secret.

“Akira, Yuko and I will gladly give you both our blessing for all of the happiness you've given us.”

“Thank you, sir.” Akira beamed, blushing slightly.

The door produced a knock and Akira went to get it, finding Ryo to be standing there with two small gift bags. 

“Did I miss anything?”

“Nope.”


	19. Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is the sweetest gift of all

_About a week later_

They were walking through the park in the city like they usually did, hand in hand and walking Betty, who was easily more than several months old. It was snowing lightly on the ground with some flurries even floating by on the wind breeze. Akira was wearing his new scarf wrapped around his neck and Ryo was wearing his gray trench coat. 

They are going on a date, a nice, casual date after a long day at work. Their cheeks and nose were rosy from the cold, but their eyes held a certain twinkle in them and their hearts, a soft warm love that couldn't die.

Betty was wearing a long vest and shirt to keep her warm, Ryo insisting that she'd wear them to stay warm. She was happy as a dog can be, her tongue hanging out.

A wind came out of nowhere, blowing the three of them around. Ryo clung to Akira and Betty stopped by the two of them, planting herself by their legs. The wind died off as quickly as it came.

“You okay, angel?”

“Yeah, just cold.”

“Well, if it's alright with you, I think it would be advisable for us to go home. It's supposed to get really cold tonight.”

“Yeah, I was about to mention that.”

So they walked back to the car and Akira made sure that the heater was on full blast.

_Later_

Ryo was filling Betty's food and water bowls as Akira cooked dinner for the evening. The news was on the TV and Betty was laid out on the bed, resting. The home was contently quiet as it continued to snow outside.

“Geez if it snows anymore, we'll be blocked in!” Ryo observed.

“Let's not jinx it.”

“The snow's pretty at least.”

“Yeah.”

Having taken care of Betty's bowls, Ryo walked up to behind Akira and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“You're so warm, baby. It's like I'm hugging a furnace.”

“Like you'd mind.”

“I don't.”

“I think it's because of my transformation and having a body heat higher than normal is a trait of that.”

“That would explain it, but you're still soft as ever.”

Akira blushed at the compliment; Ryo was right about that, he noticed. He thought that by being Devilman, we would be hard and gritty with skin like steel. While that is sort of true, his skin is still soft like his old self, according to Ryo.

“Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“What's on the menu tonight?”

“Something different. I hope it comes out okay…”

“Different? What is it?”

“I can't tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“It's a surprise.”

Oh, Akira's being cheeky, isn't he?

“Is that so?”

“Yup!”

It certainly looked good, whatever it was. Ryo left Akira alone with the questioning but it still piqued his interest as to what Akira was going to be experimenting with the food. Ryo didn't move himself from Akira's position, wanting to stay in the warmth.

“You comfy?”

“Yes.”

It was silent between them for a moment.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Akira.”

“How much do you love me?”

Ryo thought it over a moment.

“If my arms could stretch beyond the ends of the universe, that would be the measurement of my love for you.”

“Those are some long arms.”

Ryo made a giggling sound behind him.

“That's also a lot of love.”

“How much you love me, Akira?”

Akira blanked a minute, trying to find a good analogy to rival Ryo's.

“My love for you is bigger than the universe, and, it's more precious than all of the known riches anywhere.”

Although he couldn't see behind him, he could imagine Ryo's eyes getting wide and sparkly, which they were. He could, however, feel Ryo's grip around his waist tightening. 

“That's quite the love, dear.”

“Yup! I also get to fall in love with you a little more each day, too!” Akira chirped with a smile.

Ryo wasn't sure what to make of that comment other than the fact that he wanted to cry happy tears.

“You're cute, you know that?”

Ryo made little embarrassed noises, making Akira laugh quietly. They stayed like that as long as Akira continued to cook for a few more minutes. Akira had his free hand on Ryo's arms, stroking them gently.

Eventually, dinner was made and so they got seated and situated. Ryo stared at the pot in the center of the table, contemplating what exactly Akira was cooking in the pot. They said grace and begin to take their servings of food

“Can I lift the lid?”

“Yup! I hope it came out okay. I've never tried making it before.”

Ryo looked inside the pot and was pleasantly surprised to find a meal that was a mix of soba noodles and chunks of chicken and shrimp along with vegetables soaked in some sort of sauce. Akira caught Ryo staring wide-eyed at the meal and coughed to get him to snap out of it.

“Um, babe? You good?”

“Yeah, just… how in the world did you make something like this?”

“I kinda had to convince Miki to let me use the recipe since she didn’t believe I could pull it off. To be fair, I didn’t either but it looks alright.”

Akira took Ryo’s plate and piled on a nice helping of the food before handing Ryo back the plate and getting his own share. Ryo waited a bit for Akira to try it first since he was the one that cooked it. Akira took a good bite of it and took a moment to properly taste the food with Ryo waiting patiently to hear the results. 

“How’d it turn out?”

“This is really good, Ryo. Try it.”

So Ryo took a bite as Akira told him to, and he found the food to be delicious.

“Holy crap, this is good.”

“Right!?”

Betty went to join them at the food table, lying down by Ryo’s feet.

“No, baby. As good as this is, I can’t feed you this. You’ll get sick and we don’t want that.”

Betty’s only response was to slap her tail against the floor.

“I know, I know, it’s not fair, but you can’t eat everything,” Ryo calmly explained.

So they both ate their hot meal, Akira looking over now and again to see Ryo enjoying the meal and even trying to feed him pieces of it a few times. Akira would happily each bite that was offered to him. 

“This is wonderful, baby! You did a good job.”

“Thank you, I’m happy you like it.”

“I do.”

“I think we can save this. I know Miki and them would have this in smaller containers and save them to eat in colder weather.”

“That’s not a bad idea, especially when it looks like that outside.”

The snow outside was letting up some and it looked almost like something one would see in an old postcard. Ryo snuggled up to Akira while taking another bite of the noodles. 

“I just realized, are we doing anything for Christmas?” Ryo asked him.

“The Makimuras called to ask if we could join them.”

“Does Miki still hate me?”

“I don’t think as much, though she does get annoyed.”

“It’s not hard to see why.”

“Both of your personalities clash a little bit.”

“A little?”

Akira chuckled at the thought.

“I still have the ugliest Christmas sweater there is.”

“Ha! You wish.”

“You wanna put a bet on that?”

“There’s no bet needed, we both know who has the ugliest Christmas sweater.”

“-and that’s me!”

“We’ll let Miki be the judge of that.”

“I have a feeling that she might have the worst one of all.”

“That may be true but she’s not here so she can’t say anything.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They finished their meal and Akira volunteered to clean the table while Ryo went into the bathroom to get the bath started. While Ryo was busy in the bathroom, Akira quickly went to go grab his coat and dig through his coat pocket.

Digging it out, he pulled out a small box, small enough to fit in his palm.

He took the box and hid in the bedside dresser, hoping that tonight he would get to it. Betty, who was reclining on the bed at this point, got curious as to what Akira was doing.

“Don’t tell Ryo, okay? I wanna keep it a surprise. Think he’ll flip when he sees it.” Akira assured Betty, scratching her under the ears.

After giving a kiss on her forehead, Akira went into the bathroom to join Ryo in the bath. Upon entering he noticed that Ryo had already stripped down and was about to get in the bath.

“Mind if I join?”

Ryo turned around to find Akira standing there, stripping down as well. Ryo suddenly felt shy all of a sudden and turned around away from him. Why did he get shy all of a sudden? He wasn't sure.

“You getting in?”

“Y-Yeah, just had a cold chill for a second there.”

“Could be just the weather. The bath would help warm you up.”

Ryo slowly stepped in, getting used to the hot water before getting settled. Akira joined in after him by getting behind Ryo and having him lean up against him. Though he would blame the hot water for making his face red, Ryo couldn't stop his heart pounding for some reason…

_After about half an hour_

They were getting ready for bed, Ryo in that long, baby-blue kimono over his nightwear. His hair was down so his blonde locks were past his shoulders. His makeup was gone, too, no eyeliner, no mascara, no powder, nothing. 

Even when Ryo looked plain, his natural beauty was a sight to behold.

Akira was hesitant, wearing an old bathrobe with the box in his pocket. The house was quiet and there was a soft glow from the moon outside. They were sitting on the edge of the side of the bed.

It was now or never.

“Hey Ryo?”

“Yes?”

You know we've dating for a while now, right?”

“Yeah, almost an entire year.”

“Are you happy being in this relationship with me?”

“Are you kidding me? Being with you are the greatest days of my life! I get to wake up next to you and be with you all the time. I couldn't be happier.”

“That's good!”

“So why are asking all of this?”

“Because I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives…”

Akira pulled out the box out of pocket and got down on his knees on the floor with Ryo on the bed. Akira opened the box to reveal the ring to Ryo, who knew immediately what was about to happen.

“ _Ryo Asuka, will you marry me and be my husband?_ ”

Ryo's heart stopped and Akira watched Ryo's face light up, his blue eyes shiny and looking like he was going to cry right there.

His voice failed him so he gave Akira a happy nod and waited as Akira took the ring and put it on his ring finger. Ryo didn't hesitate to examine every detail of the ring, getting more excited by the moment.

“I can't believe it, I just can't believe it…”

Neither one of them could sleep that night as they only felt pure excitement being engaged.


	20. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The matrimonial end to a long and eventful journey, complete with laughter and love

His heart was pounding so hard that he couldn’t sleep.

How could he? His excitement is the only thing that he was feeling right now.

He still hadn’t taken off his new engagement ring either, looking fondly fascinated at the ring as he lied next to Akira. 

He wanted to cry right there.

He had never been this joyful in his life. 

Akira proposed to him.

Akira wanted to marry him.

_Akira wanted him to be his lawfully wedded husband._

He actually pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Betty stirred next to him licking his rested hand as she snuggled herself up to him.

“ _Can you believe it, Betty? Akira actually proposed to me. Proposed! I can’t believe it either. It feels too much a dream and I feel so happy I could die! Well, not yet, we haven’t even planned the wedding. God, it’s going to be so nice! I never thought we would both reach a point to where we would actually have to plan a wedding, though, so this’ll be interesting. God, I can’t sleep! I’m just too excited!_ ”

Ryo then proceeded to make quiet, happy noises for a moment before trying to settle down to actually go to sleep. He thought that Akira would be knocked out and wouldn’t hear him being all lovey-dovey and mushy.

Unknown to him, Akira was awake just enough, listening to Ryo and feeling his heart being lifted from the happiness of hearing his boyfriend-turned-fiancée being cute as a button and talking about the wedding.

His arms around Ryo’s waist tightened slightly and he laid a tired kiss on the nape of his neck.

_Next morning_

The house was its usually quiet and calm as the morning sun rose like it usually did behind rosy, warm clouds in the distance. Even with the blankets they had on top of them, the warmth that the two of them shared was the nicest of all. Akira was the first one awake, like he usually was, and was waiting for the fog of sleep to pass before moving. He shifted slightly, but only enough that it wouldn’t stir Ryo and wake him up. Betty was still fast asleep curled up to Ryo’s legs.

Akira fondly recollected the events of what happened the night before, seeing Ryo happily and tearfully tell him yes to the proposal of marriage and being husbands all the while hugging him tight and feeling his tears wet his old bathrobe. The sweetest part was seeing Ryo admire their matching engagement rings and getting all bubbly. Ryo deserved to be happy and Akira was going to make sure he always was. 

Smiling, he gently stroked Ryo’s stomach through his nightclothes, feeling the fabric of soft cotton. Akira then started to lay down kisses on Ryo’s neck, soft and sweet. Out of the corner of his eye, he would see the thin outline of the engagement ring still on Ryo’s finger, glistening in the morning sun. 

He felt Ryo stir in his sleep and waited patiently as Ryo slowly woke up from his slumber with red eyes blinking and incoherent tired noises. Ryo turned his head to see Akira behind him, smiling and they both share a good morning kiss.

“Morning, angel.”

“Morning, dear.”

“Sleep well?”

“I tried. It’s a little hard to when you’re too excited to sleep.”

“I bet. It was adorable hearing you gush last night.”

Ryo groaned as Akira laughed quietly.

“I thought you were asleep!”

“Only partially.”

“Oh God…” Ryo groaned, embarrassed.

“You’re adorable, y’know that?”

“Am not.”

“Are, too.”

“I'm gonna fight you.”

“Like you'd stand a chance.”

Ryo then made more incoherent noises as he buried his face into his pillow. Akira chuckled before reaching over to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“Well, we don't have to be anywhere today, so we can sleep in as long as we want.”

“Good, 'cause I want to,” Ryo said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

“That's alright with me, it's still kinda early.”

“How early is it?” Ryo asked, turning around so that he was facing Akira.

“It's only 7:23.”

“Yeah, that's too early.”

“I know, I know.” Akira soothed, kissing his forehead.

They both stayed like that for several minutes, not wanting to move from their positions. Ryo could feel Akira's hand stroking his back lightly as he cuddled closer to him. 

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They both stayed like that in bed for as long as they slept in.

Several hours later

“ _So what's the news that has gotten you so worked up? You haven't been this excited, even the time when you told me you got Betty._ ”

“You won't believe this. You ready?”

“ _Yes, for the past several minutes._ ”

“Jenny, Akira and I… we're getting _married._ ”

“ _That's wonderful news!_ ”

“Isn't it?! Akira proposed last night while we were in our nightclothes. Real romantic, I know. I almost couldn't sleep last night I was so excited.”

“ _Oh, I bet._ ”

“I wanna scream. I've wanted to since yesterday.

“ _I don't blame you. I'm very happy for you, dear. I know you've waited for this for a long time._ ”

“Yeah.”

“ _Do remember to send an invitation._ ”

“Yes, yes of course! I think it's going to be a small ceremony, I know that much. I wouldn't know where to find a venue or anything.”

“ _Leave to me dear._ ”

“Are you sure?”

“ _Is there anyone else with a flair like mine that you could go to? Besides, I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time._ ”

“Alright, but don't overwork yourself. That's a lot of planning.”

“ _It's not much different than at work._ ”

“Very well. I'll leave you to it.”

“ _Oh, I can't wait! Congratulations again, dear. Talk to you soon!_ ”

“Talk to you later, Jenny.”

“ _Remember, relax. We'll have it all figured out._ ”

“Yeah.”

“ _Goodbye, dear!_ ”

“Goodbye Jenny.”

_That afternoon_

Their holding hands were warm as they walked through the hallway, Ryo carrying a pack of fresh pansies. They were both smiling happily and their cheeks were a rosy pink with a romantic innocence. Ryo's ring continued to gleam brightly now and again when it caught the light. 

Bless his heart, Ryo would've told the whole world he was getting married to Akira if he could. So far, Jenny knew as well as the Makimuras, who surprisingly cool with it, even Miki. 

They reached the door and Akira did his standard greeting by knocking on the door.

“Come on in!”

So they did.

They were greeted with a happy older couple as Mrs. Yuko actually looked better than she did several weeks ago and Mr. Tanaka actually looked well rested for the first time in forever. They both immediately went over to Mrs. Yuko to hug her and show her the new pansies.

“It’s good to see you both! How is work? Come grab a chair.”

They pulled the nearby chairs up to the side of the bed, resting their heads on their arms. 

“So what’s new? Anything exciting?”

“Well, we do have an announcement to make…”

“Oh? Well, what is it?”

“Ryo, you wanna show?”

Beaming and bubbling with excitement, he casually revealed his ring on his finger in full view, seeing it gleam. Akira also revealed his and took Ryo’s ringed hand, holding it to confirm what happened.

“Those rings… Does this mean-?”

“We’re getting married.”

Needless to say, both of their reactions were priceless and reactions that they would treasure for years.

“Oh. My. Goodness, that’s awesome to hear!”

“Congratulations, boys!”

Akira and Ryo both sat there with their faces all red and blushy as they stammered a “thank you” for the kind wishes.

“Do we know when the wedding is?”

“We haven’t picked out a date yet but it’s going to be a close one. Maybe a week or so off?”

“A week? Moving awful fast now, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but we did it so that you could come, too. If we wait too long, there will come a time when you can’t.”

"Well that's considerate of you. I would take every opportuity I can to see that wedding. Please send an invitiation our way when you make them."

"We will, we will."

_A few days later_

“How about this one, Ryo?” Jenny pointed to the tuxedo at the end of the rack for Ryo to see. Jenny was helping Ryo find a tuxedo to rent for the wedding, and so far, things weren’t too stressful. Ryo had a general idea of what he wanted, and he was vocal about it, too, which helped. 

“I like it, but it’s a bit much. I’d want to go with something a little simpler.”

“Very well, though it is nice.”

“It is. If we can’t find anything, I’ll go with that one.”

“Good plan.”

They continued to walk around and look through the tuxedos until Jenny noticed that Ryo stopped to glance a particular one, a white tuxedo with a powder-blue vest and bowtie.

“How about this one, Jenny?”

“Oh, that’s beautiful. The blue gives it a nice burst of color and it matches your eyes.”

Ryo blushed a little at the compliment.

“Do you want to try this one on?”

“Yes-Yes, I would.”

“Alright, let’s go find the fitting room and we will see how it fits.”

Ryo smiled as Jenny took the hanger off the rack.

A few minutes later

“Is it fitting alright?”

“Yes. Just a moment.”

“Take your time, dear.”

“I wonder how Akira is doing with all of this. I think he said that Mr. Makimura and Mr. Tanaka were going together with him.”

“I’m sure he’s alright. He’s just like you, nervous about the wedding and getting ready for it. It’s natural to be nervous at something like this.”

“Alright, I think I got it.”

“Come on out, I want to see!”

Jenny waited as Ryo cautiously stepped out, wearing the tuxedo and everything and looking unusually sharp that it suited him well. Jenny was even correct about the powder blue matching his eyes.

“What do you think?” Jenny asked as Ryo examined the outfit in the mirror.

It took a moment to look everything over before Ryo answered her question.

“... It’s perfect.”

Jenny smiled as Ryo continued to look at himself in the mirror, getting even more excited by the moment.

Sure enough, a week and a half had gone by when the wedding day finally arrived, almost before Christmas, too. In the local park, the feeling of excitement was in the air as the guests waited patiently in their seats. The wedding, Akira and Ryo decided would be at the gazebo in the park, just a small affair. The gazebo pillars were wrapped in ribbons of blue and gold in a beautiful display and the rows of chairs had a narrow walkway littered with flower petals on the ground. The guests in attendance were Mrs. Yuko and Mr. Tanaka sitting on one side with Jenny by them and on the other side, the Makimuras were seated with various guests behind them. Some of the guests were some co-workers and family friends. It was a rather small ceremony, and intimate, too.

Akira walked up the aisle with Mrs. Makimura, who was already wiping a few tears away. Akira brought her over to sit down by the family before going up to the steps of the gazebo. He waited expectantly for his husband-to-be, who was rising from the back row with a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He slowly moved down the aisle, but not before he noticed Betty walking alongside him happily. Ryo smiled and allowed her to walk with him, even sitting between the two of them as they both stood at the altar together with the guests behind them. The officiant stood on the top step and greeted them quietly before taking out a little book from his pocket and so began the ever-famous monologue that is heard at every wedding, “We are all gathered here today…”

Akira glanced over at Ryo to notice his eyes getting watery with a happy smile on his face.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just… I can’t believe this is real.”

Akira took the chance to slide his hand in his and squeezing it.

“Don’t worry, it is.”

“... and now we will have the exchange of vows. Whoever first.”

“I’ll start.” Akira offered, “Ryo, I want to say first that I love you very much. Second, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy for as long as we’re alive. Third, You mean more than the universe to me and I’m very glad to be married to you, my angel, my love and my life. I love you.”

Ryo’s face went beet-red as the guests awed. Ryo then took a moment to compose himself before getting his thoughts together.

“Akira, to you who I’ve had a massive crush on since we were kids, it gives me in-indescribable joy to be your husband through everything. I didn’t think that we would actually get to this point in our relationship, but here we are. As your husband, I will be there in times of joy and times of-of trouble. I will always be by your side and I love you from the bottom of my heart. I love you.”

“These are the vows?”

“Yes.” They both replied.

“Very well. Fudo Akira, do you take Asuka Ryo to be your husband, in sickness and in health?”

“I gladly do.”

To you, Asuka Ryo, do you take Fudo Akira as your husband, in sickness and in health?”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Alright, if there is anyone here that sees any reason to not let these two be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

The officiant waited a moment and got no response until Betty barked, making everyone laugh.

“Well, the dog has spoken. Anyone else?”

There was no other reaction. Betty felt Ryo pat her head and give a good scratch under her ears before standing back up straight.

“Alright, alright, I have the rings here. Mister Asuka, if you please.”

“Y-Yes, of course,” Ryo told him as he took the golden wedding band and, with trembling hands, was able to slide it on Akira’s ring finger. Then it was Akira’s turn to do the same, also with trembling hands. It was almost a miracle that they didn’t drop them.

“Very well. By the power invested in me, I hereby declare these two to be official and married in the eyes of witnesses. Congratulations, you may now kiss and live in holy matrimony for the rest of your days.”

“Shall we?” Akira asked.

“Oh, please do,” Ryo answered before they both hugged and shared the sweetest, most loving kiss to the applause and praise of the guests. Betty barked loudly at the attention with them, seeing her new owners officially married. They held that kiss for a moment before feeling tears well up in their eyes and feeling the rice and rose petals being tossed about. Not wanting to go out quietly, Akira picked Ryo up like a bride and proceeded to walk back down the aisle, Betty following close behind them.

They would never forget this day for the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking around to the end! It was a wonderful series to write and I hope you all had fun reading it as I did writing it. Need more to read? Check out my other works!
> 
> Speaking of other works, I should have some new stuff up very soon, so stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you so much again for the comments and the kudos, they mean a lot! <3


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